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GEORGE WILLARD JOHNSON, JR |
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GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Photos by Mary Mason Young
Click on photos to enlarge. |
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RESOLUTION FROM THE MID-ATLANTIC SECTION OF THE ABA
“To live a good life, you need to be a good person. To live a great life, you must serve a great God”
The members of the Mid-Atlantic Section(MAS) of the American Bridge Association (ABA) , Inc were indeed saddened to learn on March 27,2008 that our beloved member and friend had joined the ranks of Grand Slammers
Mr. George Willard Johnson, Jr.
Whereas , Mr. George W. Johnson, known in the bridge world as “Mr. Bridge”, lived a great life for He truly loved The Lord, his wife, Dorothy, and playing the challenging game of bridge. Mr. Johnson was committed to serving God and many times before attending the bridge tournament, he would serve the Lord at the AME Methodist’s Conference and later travel to our MAS tournament to participate in his favorite pastime, Duplicate Bridge.
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Whereas, George ,amassed many points (21,000 +)and advanced the ladder of success becoming a Grand Master ,the highest level that any bridge player can achieve. For this complishment ,he was honored as one of the highest ranking players in the Mid-Atlantic Section including the National American Bridge Association, thus receiving the first “Honoring Our Own” Arthur Reid award. George acknowledged his various partners and stated that: “ In his humble opinion, Duplicate Bridge is an enjoyable pastime and may delay the onset of Alzheimer’s and senility” ( George prove this axiom because he kept a “full deck” until he joined our ABA Final Grand Slammers
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Whereas, Mr. Johnson , made the Mid-Atlantic Section proud with his winning smile ,winning bridge, winning positions while winning many awards, including winning the prestigious Kenneth C ox award which honored his “Bridge playing expertise, that impacted significantly on ABA Members and bridge organizations at all levels and demonstrated respect for all players, winning the National and MAS Mini Friend award for four years; winning elections in various positions including ABA Treasurer and The National ABA President
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Whereas , Mr. Johnson, often celebrated the anniversary of his marriage to the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen, Dorothy(the love of his life), at the American Bridge Association Nationals, never failed to inform ABA members of his respect, love and admiration for his beloved wife.
Be it resolved that even though our hearts are sad , we humbly submit to God’s Will , knowing that God had an appointed time to claim His own, our hearts are filled with the joy of thanksgiving and gratefulness as the members of The Mid-Atlantic celebrate a great life of a mentor, an officer and gentleman. We find comfort in God’s promise of eternal Life knowing that according to His Word:
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you, e will nev He will never leave you nor forsake you”, --Deuteronomy 31:8
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be given to George’s beloved wife of sixty-one plus years, Mrs. Dorothy Johnson , and a copy also be placed in the Archives of the American Bridge Association and the Archives of Mid-Atlantic Section.
Respectfully submitted this second day of April of two thousand eight.
Jewel P. Chapman, Mid-Atlantic Section Vice President
Mary Mason Young, Immediate Past Mid-Atlantic Vice President
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Photos courtesy of Mary Mason Young.
Click on photos to enlarge.
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| George Wilton Johnson,Jr |
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| ABA members |
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| Metroliners |
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| Ed High |
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| The Allens of Southfield, MI |
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| George's Brother |
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| His Beloved, Dorothy |
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| Richard Bowling & Son Phil |
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| MAS member + Hank Irwin (Austin, TX) |
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| Phil, Victoria, Richard, Treana |
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Former National Treasurer, ABA
Former National President, ABA
Organizer of Northwest Section, ABA
Organizer, Metrolina DBC, Charlotte, NC
Grand Life Master (20,000+ NMP), ABA
Kenneth F. Cox Awardee #1, ABA
Trustee & Faithful Member of Greater Bethel AME Church, Charlotte
Retired Director of Finance for the US Postal Service after 41 years
Father of three sons: George III (deceased), Lawrence ( deceased), Philip G.
Married to Dorothy 61+ years
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A Note from Richard Bowling, Past ABA President
In Honor of our Past President and good friend George W. Johnson, Jr., I have created a memorial page.
Please sign Guest book and tell a story about George that you can recall I will make sure the family receives the guest book.
Thanks
Richard Bowling
Past ABA President
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If there were just three things George Johnson loved, it was Dot, the ABA and the AME church. I can't define a clear second. Phillip, you're in the mix, too! George Johnson is one who gave freely of his talent and money. Mary Green reminds me that he was usually one of the first to volunteer to help out situations involving the ABA. She remembers that he thoroughly supported the ABA Bridge Home and offered to pay the mortgate.At any rate, I know that he donated at least a thousand dollars to the building fund. Actually, his middle name could be "GIVE". As freely as he gave to the ABA, he gave to the AME church. When his church needed money to purchase more property, he allowed them to borrow $20,000 from them, interest free. While living in Atlanta, he was a member and officer of Big Bethel. In Charlotte, he was a member and former officer of Greater Bethel AME Church. When able, he attended all AME conferences of the Western North Carolina Conference. He was a trustee of that conference and well-loved and respected by all of the bishops under which he served. During recent years, when conferences were in the Raleigh Durham area, we gave him a key and left the refrigerator stocked. He , inturn, let us use their home as a "half-way house" between Raleigh and Promised Land. Often, my sister and I would end up there for breakfast and if need be, spend the night and leave bright and early the next morning. George was an exemplary friend. When he couldn't attend Will E. Richardson's funeral, he sent me.
George didn't wait for someone to tell him what needed to be done, he just went and did it. One of his sons lived in the Northwest and after visiting the area frequently, he saw the need to include the Northwest Bridge Association into the ABA. He worked with them and had them become members of the Western Section promising them that when their membership reached a certain number, they could have their own section. That is why George is known as the "Father of the Northwest".
My friendship with George goes back to the late sixties when he was living in Atlanta. About five tables of us would go, uninvited, to his home for a "late-late" game. Some of the ladies would cook breakfast in between hands. The director did the score. ( In those days, there were no computers.) My heart went out to George, a few years ago, after he had lost the second of his three sons. He thought maybe it was "his" fault. In situations like this, we must remember that God has the "masterplan" and he has a different walk for each of us. We don't know what it is but our job is to be obedient and faithful.
If you have the 1983 (Golden Anniversary) Souvenir Journal, look at the centerfold. This is a photo of the ABA membership in 1955 at the Henry Hudson Hotel in New York City. George is right there in all of his glory. That was his first National tournament.
I remember when we all gathered in Mary Green's dining room the night before Morgan Townsell's funeral. George had flown in from Atlanta. We sat up all night long-- he was re-hashing and I was just a listen'. A lot of the ABA history leaves us with George's death. He clearly remembered when the hotels didn't accept "colored" people and they had to book rooms in private homes. He remembered driving for long hours on one lane highways to get to the next ABA tournament.
Let's not forget the Metroliners' DBC of Raleigh. Until George moved to Charlotte, there was no ABA club in Charlotte. This meant that he had to canvas the social bridge clubs, entice them to duplicate and give them lessons. This he did. You can see the fruits of his labor. The most successful ABA Summer National tournament was held a few summers ago in Charlotte. We shall never forget the crowd, the activities, and the people. People drove in from everywhere.
I know George is looking for a fourth for his Knockout Team. Will E, CG Fredd have already joined. Perhaps, Jesse Cooke will come aboard.
Yes, George, we loved you, but God loved you best. Dorothy, we love you. Let us know if there is anything we can do.
Done in Sorrow,
mem
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CONDOLENCES:
DOROTHY JOHNSON
5917 Crestwood Dr
Charlotte, NC 28216
704-395-0892
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