[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 25182]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING THE PASSING OF CONGRESSMAN JAY JOHNSON

  (Mr. KAGEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KAGEN. Madam Speaker, like everyone else in northeast Wisconsin, 
I am shocked and saddened by the passing of my friend, former 
Congressman Jay Johnson. Jay represented the Eighth District of 
Wisconsin in this body from January of 1997 to January 1999.
  Jay was a friend of mine. He was a gentle person, and everyone in 
northeast Wisconsin was considered his friend as well. He served the 
best interests of all of our families and will be greatly missed.
  For many years, Jay's trusted voice and kind countenance came into 
all of our homes as a news anchor on WFRV-TV and WLUK-TV in Green Bay. 
His colleagues in this room here all recall how kind he was. His 
colleagues in the newsroom in Green Bay recalled his kind heart, his 
unending patience, and his grand sense of humor. They will remember him 
as a gentleman in every sense of the world.
  It's clear from his life spent in front of the camera and here in 
public service that he truly loved people.
  In 2000, President Clinton appointed Jay to be director of the United 
States Mint; and more recently, he ran Jay Johnson Coins and 
Consulting.
  During my service here, Jay had been a mentor, an adviser, and a 
close friend. On behalf of the people of the Eighth District of 
Wisconsin, I want to thank Jay for his service and extend my deepest 
sympathies to his wife, JoLee, their family and friends.

                          ____________________