1934: Born Dec. 3 in Waco to Edward Johnson and Lillie Mae White Johnson
1955: Received nursing certificate from St. Mary’s College in Indiana
1956: Started work at Dallas VA Hospital
1967: Received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Texas Christian University
1972: Elected to the Texas House
1976: Received a master’s degree in public administration from SMU
1977: Appointed by President Jimmy Carter as the regional director of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare
1986: Elected to the Texas Senate
1992: Elected to U.S. House of Representatives
2001: Elected chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus
2019: Became panel chair of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
2023: Retired from U.S. House of Representatives after 15 terms
