SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 450 Offered January 23, 2007 Celebrating the life of Augustus C. Johnson. ---------- Patron-- Houck ----------

WHEREAS, Augustus C. Johnson of Northern Virginia, a respected scientist and longtime political activist, died on December 14, 2006; and

WHEREAS, a native of Covington, Kentucky, Gus Johnson’s family lost their farm in the Great Depression; he moved to Washington, D.C., and while working as a printer apprentice at the Government Printing Office attended George Washington University at night, as well as served in the Army National Guard on weekends; and

WHEREAS, during World War II, Gus Johnson worked in a war plant and a shipyard and was a civilian employee of the United States Army Corps of Engineers in Alaska; and

WHEREAS, after the war, Gus Johnson taught mathematics at George Washington University for two years while earning a master's degree in mathematics; and

WHEREAS, seeking adventure, Gus Johnson taught physics in Istanbul for three years, where he met and married his beloved late wife, Constantia Hommann Johnson, who later would help to desegregate the Fairfax County teacher associations; and

WHEREAS, Gus Johnson returned home to Washington, D.C., to teach physics at George Washington University; and

WHEREAS, a man of many talents and occupations over the course of his lifetime, Gus Johnson worked as research director and senior scientist at Booz-Allen Applied Research, as a solar energy group leader at the Mitre Corporation, and as chief statistician at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; and

WHEREAS, Gus Johnson became involved in the Democratic Party in 1952 as a political reformer and was active in Virginia politics for over 40 years, serving as Fairfax County Democratic chairman from 1958 to 1964, Tenth District Democratic Committee chairman from 1966 to 1972, and when he retired from Springfield to Syria in 1980, served on the Madison County Democratic Committee until 2000; and

WHEREAS, Gus Johnson unsuccessfully ran as a Democratic candidate for Congress from the Tenth Congressional District of Virginia in 1962 and 1964; and

WHEREAS, Gus Johnson served as a longtime board member of the Virginia ACLU, marched in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's first and second inaugural parades, and headed up a local committee for John F. Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign; and

WHEREAS, Gus Johnson will be fondly remembered for his keen intellect and love of politics and greatly missed by his daughter, Muriel "Moo" Murray of Richmond, his brother, Frank Tracy Johnson of Washington, D.C., and his numerous colleagues and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly mourn the passing of an outstanding Virginian, Augustus C. Johnson; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Augustus C. Johnson as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.