[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16565]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         REMEMBERING RICHARD JOHNSON AND TRIBUTE TO PAT JOHNSON

 Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the late 
Richard Salisbury Johnson, Sr., and his wife, Patsy Ann Seaton Johnson, 
for their contributions to the betterment of Palm Beach County, FL.
  Richard, Pat, and their families have been a part of the Palm Beach 
County community for decades. Both Pat and Richard were born in West 
Palm Beach. Richard's great-grandfather arrived on Lake Worth in the 
early 1880s, and his father worked in the historic 1916 Palm Beach 
County Court House. Pat's family moved to the area in 1928. Today, the 
family still owns the Johnson Farm in Pahokee.
  Through the years, the philanthropy of Richard and Pat Johnson has 
benefited healthcare and education through many organizations, 
including the Rehabilitation Center for Children and Adults and the 
Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins University. At Duke 
University Medical Center, they established the Richard and Pat Johnson 
University Professorship in Cardiovascular Genomics and both sat on the 
board. In addition, Pat has chaired many events for St. Mary's Medical 
Center, where Richard served as board chair for over a decade. Palm 
Beach Atlantic College honored Richard with the American Free 
Enterprise Medal in 1995 and recognized Pat with its Women of 
Distinction Award in 2001.
  With a shared vision and extraordinary generosity, Richard and Pat 
committed to opening a museum to share their local history. They turned 
a long, grassroots effort into reality with their generous support of 
the Historical Society of Palm Beach County. These efforts led to the 
Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum, which found 
its home in the now-restored 1916 courthouse, where Richard's father 
worked so many years ago.
  Since its opening, the Historical Society has engaged over 420,000 
Palm Beach County school children by funding education programs, as 
well as providing transportation for guided tours of the museum. The 
Johnsons' leadership has allowed the historical society to better 
fulfill its mission ``to collect, preserve, and share the rich history 
and cultural heritage of Palm Beach County.''
  Richard and Pat Johnson serve as role models through their hard work, 
dedication, and selflessness, not only to their five children, but also 
to the people of their community and State. I am honored to represent 
the Johnson family in the U.S. Senate, and to recognize their lives of 
public service.

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