Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Red Johnson Receives Brooks Hays Award

Lewis James 'Red' Johnson of Little Rock is the recipient of the Brooks Hays Christian Citizenship Award. The award was presented him on November 1.

Johnson was born in 1908 in Reader. It was his red hair that gave him the name by which most people know him. He says, as years went by, the name also stuck due to the resemblance to the comedian, Red Skeleton.

Johnson attended the University of Arkansas, where he was captain of the Razorback football team his senior year. He married his high school sweetheart while in college, Elizabeth Neal of Prescott. The love he extended his wife was never more evident than the year before her death when he became her constant caretaker due to her failing health. Mrs. Johnson passed away in August of this year. Their three children are Lewis Jr. 'Tim', Tom and Judy Johnson Nottage.

His first job out of college was as a wholesale grocery salesman. Following that, at the suggestion of a friend, J. Albert Hopkins, he went to work for the Farm Security Administration.

Hopkins, his mentor, became president of the small Arkansas Farmers Union. He persuaded Johnson to join him. After the death of Hopkins, Johnson held several titles in the Arkansas Farmers Union before eventually becoming president.

In the 1950's and 60's he helped Arkansas get more than $67 million in federal funds, primarily for elderly rural people and underprivileged youth.

He assisted Lyndon Johnson's 'War on Poverty' program, directed nationally by Sargeant Shriver, by activiating 7,000 jobs for youth in Arkansas through the Neighborhood Youth Corps. That was followed by assisting another 7,000 youth to find employment.

He then recognized a need to put older Arkansans to work and brought Green Thumb to Arkansas. It was a program introduced by Lady Bird Johnson to employ rural men.

Though nothing in the original legislation specifically authorized the employment of rural women, Johnson was soon hiring women as well as men. Always an innovator, he helped the Green Thumbers establish the first Senior Citizen Center in Arkansas.

He established a displaced farm workers program, training both men and women in such jobs as mechanics, bricklayers and practical nurses. He originated a rural home repair program, using retired carpenters, plumbers, electricians and roofers to supervise unskilled workers.

Johnson's ability to "get things done" earned him an excellent reputation with many politicians both in Arkansas and the nation's capitol. Among those politicians was Congressman Brooks Hays. Johnson and Hays held mutual respect for one another and were very close personal friends.

Johnson has been a member of Second Baptist Church since 1955. He is a former teacher of the Brooks Hays Bible Class.

After the presentation, a luncheon was held at Caf Saint Metz for relatives and a few friends.