TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
Richard H. Johnson 1931-2025 Counseling Professional, U.S. Army R ichard Howard Johnson (Alpha Gamma 1950) entered the Chapter
“IN JULY OF 1955, JOHNSON ENTERED THE U.S. ARMY AS A COUNSELOR IN THE PSYCHIATRIC DEPARTMENT AT FORT KNOX ...”
join the National Head Start Bureau as the Chief, Parent and Child Center Program, Office of Child Development, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. He spent 25 years with Head Start, advancing to be the National Director of Social Services and Parent Involve- ment, and finally serving as Chief, Family and Commu- nity Involvement, Head Start Bureau. Brother Johnson also served the community as a member of the Beta Mu Chapter of the Grand Boulé of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity from 1981 through 1984. Brother Richard H. Johnson is preceded in death by his beloved wife, Winona Johnson, his parents, and his beloved sister, Eleanor Antoinette Johnson. He is survived by his children Sandra Johnson Harris and Richard Nicholas Johnson, grandchildren (Nicholas Gregory Harris, Richard Murdock Johnson, Royce Imani Johnson), and a host of other extended relatives. ♦
Invisible on May 15, 2025 in Powder Springs, GA at age 94. Brother Johnson was born on January 7, 1931, in Jersey City, NJ to Richard Sampson Johnson and Della Howard Johnson. Johnson was involved in athletics starting at age 7. Brother Johnson entered Virginia Union University (VUU) in Richmond, VA in 1949 where he was a stu- dent athlete, playing on the basketball and tennis teams. He played on the Varsity Bas- ketball Team all four years of his tenure at VUU, becoming a force to be reckoned with playing the center position. He also served as team cap- tain in his junior and senior years. He also served as class president during his fresh- man and sophomore years. After graduating from VUU with honors in 1953, Brother Johnson earned his master’s in social work degree in 1955 from Boston University. During this time, he worked with youth gang
members in the Boston area. In July of 1955, Brother Johnson entered the U.S. Army as a Counselor in the Psychiatric Department at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He completed serving his time and was honorably discharged on July 18th, 1957, rejoining his bride in Cleveland, Ohio. After his time in the Army, he began a career of service working in the field of Psychology, Social Work, and Youth Education in Cleve- land, OH. During this time, he continued his affinity for playing basketball in the semi-pro league with the Cleveland Pipers. Over time, he left the Pipers and joined the Old-Timers League, where he served as President
for a while, which was a bit more fun and flexible, as his career in social work and his family life expanded. Brother Johnson served the community, working in roles such as a Court Marriage Counselor, Administrator of Maternal and Child Health Programs, and Supervisor of an Anti-Delinquency program. Eventually he reen- gaged his passion in serving youth, ultimately becoming the Director of the Hough Parent & Child Center (PCC), administered by the Family Service Association of Cleveland. The success of this center under his leader- ship caught the attention of the Secretary of Education in Washington D.C. and he was appointed in 1971 to
88 THE JOURNAL ♦ WINTER 2025-2026
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