George Johnson (’54

Leaving a legacy

Those who knew George Johnson (’54) would not be surprised that his favorite word was “joy.” He exemplified it by living life to the fullest; giving back to family, friends and community; treasuring old friends; and making new ones everywhere he went. Described as generous, optimistic, and kind, Johnson loved nothing more than telling a good story, and he had an uncanny ability for getting others to share theirs.

“George loved to tell the story about how he got to Darlington,” said Dr. Frank Stegall (’62), who served on the Board of Trustees with Johnson for many years. “He was in Atlanta and not doing anything very impressive, so his father told him he would be going to Darlington his junior year. The second week, George called home while sitting on a bench outside the chapel and said, ‘This isn’t going to work.’ His father told him he could stay at Darlington or join the military. He said something like, ‘I would advise you to go back to the dorms, make friends and do well in school.’ George said that was the best advice he ever got and he always gave his father much credit for sending him there. He said Darlington was the best thing that happened up to that point in his life.”

Johnson went on to earn his B.S. in Business Administration from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and, after a brief time in life insurance, found his calling in commercial real estate. He had a very successful career developing hotels and office buildings throughout the Southeast.

In 1959, he married his wife, Janet, whom he had first met at UNC and reconnected with later in Atlanta. They made their home there and the city of Atlanta would be a lifelong beneficiary of his hard work and generosity.

Johnson has served a number of organizations that meant much to him, but dearest to his heart was Communities in Schools (CIS). In 1974, he was introduced to Neil Shorthouse and Bill Milliken and their work with students in Atlanta’s inner city, founders of what would eventually become CIS, the nation’s largest K-12 dropoutprevention network. This pivotal meeting galvanized his focus on philanthropy and fundraising and in 2016, he received the Ann Cox Chambers Champion for Kids Award in recognition of decades of work on behalf of CIS.

“George gave tirelessly to the people and causes he cared most about – the education of children, in particular,” said Head of School Brent Bell. “When he was honored for his meaningful work with Communities in Schools, he spent his entire acceptance speech thanking everyone else. He was a servant leader in the truest sense of the word.”

In addition to his work with CIS, Johnson’s most satisfying achievements were co-chairing capital campaigns for Trinity Presbyterian Church, Darlington School, and the Atlanta campaign for UNC.

“It was a real honor for me to co-chair the Second Century Campaign with George. He was a great fundraiser with a great love for Darlington,” said life trustee Jere Drummond (’57). “He was much more deeply entrenched in Atlanta than I was and he knew where to find the money. People would say, ‘Oh, I’m not sure I can help much,’ and George could say, ‘Hey, I know you’ve got money in that old shoe back there, I know where it came from, and you need to give it to Darlington.’ That was a very effective fundraising technique.”

In addition to co-chairing the school’s first comprehensive capital campaign, which raised over $95 million, Johnson served many terms as a trustee and was named Distinguished Alumnus in 1991 and life trustee in 2013. The following year, he served as honorary chairman of Leadership Darlington. Spaces on campus bearing his name include the Johnson-Drummond Amphitheater, the Johnson Field House and the Johnson Assembly Hall.

“George was one of the most influential people that I’ve known in the history of Darlington in terms of his impact on the school,” said Stegall. “Something about him just made you want to get on board. When he came to you, you knew you were going to sign up because he was so enthusiastic and so encouraging. You wanted to be part of whatever George was leading. He was a guy everyone loved to be around and we all miss him.”