Johnson Will Not Receive Award
Dallas Democrat Eddie Bernice Johnson will not be named one of SMU's distinguished alumni next month after all. Johnson was granted a Masters in Public Administration from SMU in 1976 and since then, she's become prominent in Democratic Party politics and has served in Congress since 1993. In recent weeks she's been dogged by an ethics controversy involving allegations of nepotism in awarding scholarships from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Before the flap erupted, she was selected to be honored with SMU's Distinguished Alumni Award. Previous honorees are First Lady Laura Bush and Cowboys great Don Meredith. Johnson's office notified the university she would not be able to attend the October 21st awards dinner. Since being present is necessary to receive the award, SMU says she will be recognized at a later date. Both the university and Johnson's office say the ethics scandal had nothing to do with the change of plans.
