Southampton-Nansemond County-Williamsburg City Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Johnson, John R.L., 1953 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ DR. JOHN ROCHELLE LEE JOHNSON FORMER PRINCIPAL OF LOCAL SCHOOLS DIES IN 84TH YEAR Dr. John Rochelle Lee Johnson, 83, retired professor of English in the College of William and Mary, died of a heart attack at his home in Williamsburg on Thursday, April 23. A native of the South Quay community in Nansemond County, he was the last survivor among the eight sons of the late Robert R. Johnson and Virginia Frances (Vaughan) Johnson. A graduating from William and Mary College, Dr. Johnson was principal of the school in Boykins from 1894 to 1897, inclusive. While at Boykins he completed (1896-’97) a law course at Richmond College. The next two years (1897-’99) he taught in South Boston. During the session of 1899-1900) he was in Batavia, Ill., where he began graduate studies in Chicago University. This was followed (1900-’01) by a year of teaching in Strasburg. The Dr. Johnson belonged the distinction of having organized the first high school in Southampton County. This was during his regime as principal of the Franklin public school (1901-’13), first in the frame building on Norfleet Street and afterwards in the new brick structure on Second Avenue. For the session of 1913-’14 Dr. Johnson was principal of the high school at Norton. He returned to Franklin in 1914, remaining here through the session of 1915-’16, when the high school was set up in the old Seminary buildings. In 1916 he went to Radford to become professor of English in the State Teachers College, now Radford College. It was while he was at Radford that he completed the requirements for the Ph.D. degree, which he received from the University of Chicago in 1928. In that year he was called by his alma mater to a professorship in the College of William and Mary, where he specialized in early English literature, occupy the chair until 1947, when ill health forced his retirement. In recognition of his academic achievements he was made a member of Alpha chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in 1915. As a former pupil of Dr. Johnson, the writer recalls with pleasure and appreciation the years spent under his instruction. By inclination and training a teacher, he raised the art of teaching to a high level. He was gifted with the rare sense of humor indispensable to successful teaching, a characteristic he never lost even though during the closing years of his life he was handicapped by blindness. Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Susie Rawls Johnson; two sons, J.R.L. Johnson, Jr., of Wilmington, Del., an attorney for the Hercules Power Co., and Robert Bruce Johnson of Williamsburg; three grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. Funeral services for Dr. Johnson were conducted Saturday afternoon at 1 o’clock in the Williamsburg Baptist Church by Rev. Thomas E. Pugh. Pallbearers there were Drs. J.D. Carter, W.G. Guy, J.H. Jackson, W.M. Jones, R.L. Morton, A.P Wagner and D.W. Woodbridge. Interment was in Poplar Spring Cemetery at 4 o’clock. The pallbearers at the burial were Ashby Rawls, Charles Rawls, James E. Rawls, S.W. Rawls, Jr., Charlie Johnson, Lawrence Johnson and Richard Kello. Dr. John Rochelle Lee JOHNSON, retired educator, South Quay native, d. 23 Apr 1953, at home, Williamsburg, age 83, interred in Poplar Spring Cemetery (Annex 2, Plot 107*), Franklin, 25 Apr 1953, "The Tidewater News" (Franklin, VA), May 1, 1953, p. 1 *Southampton County Historical Society {SCHS} Cemetery Project, Poplar Spring list: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/cemeteries/psanx2.txt Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Mrs. Bruce Saunders (bs4403@verizon.net), and re-formatted by File Manager. file at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/obits/j525j19o.txt