Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Jan. 7, 2019— Lieutenant Colonel Richard Johnson was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery with full Air Force Military Honors on this date in 2003.
Dick was born on Sep. 21, 1917, near Cooperstown, the eighth of 10 children. His father died when he was only eight, and his mother raised the family on very modest means. His first love was flying, and when he was just a kid, he had a homemade airplane he powered with a Model T engine. As he matured, however, it looked like Dick was destined for baseball. In fact, he was actually in spring training with the Boston Red Sox when he decided in 1942 to fight in WWII.
As a fighter pilot in North Africa and Italy, Johnson logged 4,500 hours in more than 35 aircraft, including the rocket-propelled Bell X-1, the world’s first supersonic aircraft. In all, he flew 180 missions, mostly in a P-47 Thunderbolt also known as the “Train Buster.”
After the war, Johnson decided that baseball couldn’t compete with flying, so he stayed in the Air Force. Then in 1948, news came back to Cooperstown that Johnson had broken the world’s absolute speed record by pushing an F-86 Sabre jet fighter to a speed of 670.98 mph. He beat fellow pilot Chuck Yeager’s record for breaking the sound barrier the previous year. For his efforts, Johnson won the prestigious Thompson Trophy and the French Henri de la Vaulx medal.
As they say in in the movie “Top Gun,” Johnson felt the need for speed. In 1953, he left the military to become chief test pilot for General Dynamics in Fort Worth, Texas. There, he tested and helped deploy the F-102, F-106, YF-102 and made the first flights in the variable sweep wing F-111. He also helped design the F-16, and in 1955, Johnson and five other pilots founded the internationally known Society of Experimental Test Pilots.
Johnson’s skill and courage have earned him world recognition and a host of medals and awards, including the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, four Distinguished Flying Crosses, 14 Air Medals and many more. At the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Johnson’s name is etched on a wall bearing the names of world speed record holders.
Also on display is Johnson’s coveted Ivan C. Kincheloe trophy, which he was awarded in 1967 as the nation’s best test pilot.
Through it all, Johnson remained modest and self-effacing. In fact, when he was dying of brain cancer, he expressed a wish to be buried at Arlington Cemetery— but his family couldn’t prove he had gotten his awards, because he had thrown them away. Thankfully, Senator Dorgan was able to cut through the red tape to honor Johnson’s wish and his memory.
Many consider Dick Johnson to be the greatest test pilot in American history. Back in 1948, Cooperstown held a Dick Johnson Day during which Governor Aandahl presented him with diamond-studded pilot’s wings. But other than that, he’s been overlooked. Many have lobbied for his induction into the Roughrider Hall of Fame, hoping the award would come while he was still living. But Johnson hasn’t even been inducted into the North Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame yet.
Who knows? Maybe that’s how he would’ve wanted it. But a fly-by would be nice. Or how about a nice sonic boom?
Good Samaritan Centers
January 10, 2019— In 1922 Lutheran pastor August Hoeger was concerned about the needs of children crippled by polio. Inspired by the Bible story in the Book of Luke, he founded the Good Samaritan Society in Arthur, North Dakota. He started raising money, and the response was so positive that he surpassed his goal by $2,000. He put the extra money to work, opening his first Good Samaritan center in 1923; it was a six-room home in Arthur that cared for children with epilepsy.
Seven years later, the Good Samaritan Society opened its first home for the elderly in Fargo, and by 1940, the Society had branched into 27 communities in 10 states. By the time Reverend Hoeger died at age 85 in 1970, the Society had grown to 150 facilities caring for 12,000 residents. Two sons and a grandson carried on the virtuous pastor’s work, and the Society now cares for 28,000 residents in 240 facilities in 26 states.
“Dakota Datebook” is a radio series from Prairie Public in partnership with the State Historical Society of North Dakota and with funding from the North Dakota Humanities Council. See all the Dakota Datebooks at prairiepublic.org, or subscribe to the “Dakota Datebook” podcast.
