The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING THE 95TH BIRTHDAY OF MARGARET EMHARDT JOHNSON
______
HON. RODNEY DAVIS
of illinois
in the house of representatives
Friday, June 25, 2021
Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Margaret Emhardt Johnson who is celebrating her 95th birthday on June 30. She was born into the ``Greatest Generation'' shortly after the Great Depression and went on to serve our Nation through World War II before raising a family of three children.
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June 25, 2021, on page E698, the following appeared: Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Margaret Emhard
The online version has been corrected to read: Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Margaret Emhard
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Margaret Johnson was born on June 30, 1926. She grew up in both the Alexandria, Virginia area, attending George Washington High School, and in Coral Gables, Florida before leaving to attend Duke University. She was a member of the first female graduating class at the university in 1947 and is a very fierce Blue Devil. Margaret continued her education at Howard University where she received her Master's degree in Social Work. Following graduation she became a truant officer with the Alexandria Police Department so it's fair to say that her kids didn't skip school very often.
Margaret met her husband Tom while in Alexandria and the two were married for 60 years. They raised three children together, all of whom have master's degrees in their respective fields as a result of their parent's firm belief in success through education.
While raising her three kids--Tom, Sarah, and Billy--Margaret was still very active in the Alexandria community. She served on the Alexandria Hospital's Woman's Auxiliary, also known as the TWIG, while her husband served as president of the Alexandria Hospital.
Margaret also established the Alexandria Marching Band competition while her daughter was a member of the marching band at T.C. Williams High School. This service once again complemented her husband's, as he was the president of the Alexandria School Board.
Margaret and Tom were also active in their church. While her husband was on the vestry, Margaret served on the Alter Guild for decades creating flower arrangements. Additionally, both Margaret and Tom assisted in delivering meals through the Meals-on-Wheels program.
During what little spare time they had, between raising their children and serving their community, Margaret and Tom were voracious gardeners. Each year, they would plant dozens of azaleas until their entire yard was covered, making their backyard a showcase of flowers in the spring. In fact, this `green-thumb' success culminated in their garden being featured in the Washington Post.
Margaret resumed working full-time after her last child left for college. She mastered using the PC as the computer revolution began in the 1980's and still enjoys using her Mac to create birthday cards for the neighborhood children, check her email, and surf the web. Margaret still lives in the house that she and her husband built in 1963, a house that was modeled in painstaking detail after one in Williamsburg, Virginia. She social-distanced while living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic and used her computer to not only communicate with friends, family, and neighbors but also to shop for grocieries and take-out.
Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize a truly remarkable woman who would tell all of us that she did nothing remarkable. This is a common trait of the Greatest Generation, a generation that soldiered on during hardships and celebrations alike.
From a grateful Nation, Happy Birthday Margaret.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 111
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