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Congressman Putnam to speak at Florida Southern commencement
Rev. Dr. Dan Johnson will deliver baccalaureate sermon during morning graduation

LAKELAND, Fla. (April 26, 2001) - Congressman Adam Putnam will deliver the commencement address at Florida Southern College’s Spring Graduation at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Jenkins Field House on campus. More than 250 students will receive their degrees during the afternoon ceremony.

More than 50 evening, MBA and Orlando campus students will receive their degrees during the baccalaureate service Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in Branscomb Auditorium. The Rev. Dr. Dan Johnson, a senior minister from Trinity United Methodist Church in Gainesville, will offer the baccalaureate sermon at that ceremony. 

"We’re excited to have such exceptional people speak to our graduates," said Florida Southern President Tom Reuschling. "Congressman Putnam will inspire our graduates, considering his accomplishments at such a young age. The Reverend Dr. Johnson is a prominent member of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. He pastors one of the largest and fastest growing congregations in Florida."

At 26, Putnam is the youngest member of Congress. A native of Bartow, he was elected to Florida’s 12^th District last year and serves on the Agriculture, Budget and Government Reform Committees. He is Vice Chairman of the Government Reform Committee’s Subcommittee on National Security, Veteran’s Affairs and International Relations.

Prior to his election to Congress, Putnam represented the 63rd District in the Florida House of Representatives, where he served as chairman of the Florida House Agriculture Committee.

Johnson has been a United Methodist minister since 1974 in churches throughout Florida and New Jersey. He received his master’s in theology and his doctorate in Biblical studies from Princeton Theological Seminary and his bachelor’s degree from Asbury Theological Seminary. His congregation at Trinity United Methodist Church is approximately 3,300 people.

About Florida Southern College
Florida Southern is a four-year, private, co-educational liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It offers more than 40 undergraduate majors and a master of business administration degree accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Located in Lakeland, Fla., the college is home to the largest, single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world.

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