Lyman T. Johnson
Encyclopedia
Lyman Tefft Johnson was an American
educator and influential leader of racial desegregation in Kentucky
. He is best known as the plaintiff
whose successful legal challenge opened the University of Kentucky
to African-American students in 1949.
in 1906, Johnson was the eighth of nine children and the grandson of former slaves.
In 1926, he received his high school
diploma
from the preparatory division of Knoxville College
. After earning his bachelor's degree
in Greek
from Virginia Union University
in 1930, he went on to receive a master's degree
in history
from the University of Michigan
in 1931. He also served in the United States Navy
during World War II
.
He taught history, economics
, and mathematics
for 16 years at Louisville
's Central High School
before engaging the University of Kentucky in a legal test case intended to permit him to pursue further graduate study there.
Johnson was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha
fraternity.
His challenge was successful, which allowed him to enter UK in 1949 as a 43-year-old graduate student. Although he left UK before earning a degree, the university presented him with an honorary doctor of letters degree in 1979.
as an assistant principal at two junior high schools (one of the schools was Parkland Jr. High). After retirement from the public school system, he then spent three years in a similar administrative capacity at a Catholic high school.
He was also a member of the Jefferson County Board of Education
from 1978 to 1982. Lyman T. Johnson Middle School was named in his honor in 1980.
Johnson was an eloquent speaker. Once while defending underprivileged youth in public schools, Johnson waxed eloquent and quoted from memory lines from "Thomas Gray's "Elegy in a Country Church Yard." He said that these forgotten students were like desert flowers:"Full many a flower has been born to bloom and blush unseen and waste the sweetness of its fragrance on the desert air."
In addition to opening the door for thousands of minority students, he also led struggles to integrate neighborhoods, swimming pools, schools, and restaurants. He also headed the Louisville chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
for six years.
He died in Louisville, Kentucky in 1997 at the age of 91.
program in his name for African-American and older, minority graduate students at the university. There is also a postdoctoral fellowship program named in his honor. Recipients are known as Lyman T. Johnson Postdoctoral Fellows.
Within the University of Kentucky Alumni Association the African American club group is named the Lyman T. Johnson African American Alumni.
Lyman T. Johnson Traditional Middle School is a school in Louisville, Kentucky that is named in his honor.
Dr. Wade Hall, Professor Emeritus and former Chair of the English Department of Bellarmine University, wrote a biography of Johnson titled: The Rest of the Dream: The Black Odyssey of Lyman Johnson(University of Kentucky Press, 1988).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
educator and influential leader of racial desegregation in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. He is best known as the plaintiff
Plaintiff
A plaintiff , also known as a claimant or complainant, is the term used in some jurisdictions for the party who initiates a lawsuit before a court...
whose successful legal challenge opened the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
to African-American students in 1949.
Early life and education
Born in Columbia, TennesseeColumbia, Tennessee
Columbia is a city in Maury County, Tennessee, United States. The 2008 population was 34,402 according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. It is the county seat of Maury County....
in 1906, Johnson was the eighth of nine children and the grandson of former slaves.
In 1926, he received his high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
from the preparatory division of Knoxville College
Knoxville College
Knoxville College is a historically black liberal arts college in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Founded in 1875 by the United Presbyterian Church of North America, the school has an enrollment of approximately 100 students, and offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Liberal Studies and an Associate...
. After earning his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
from Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University is a historically black university located in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It took its present name in 1899 upon the merger of two older schools, Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary, each founded after the end of American Civil War by the American...
in 1930, he went on to receive a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1931. He also served in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
He taught history, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
for 16 years at Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
's Central High School
Central High School (Louisville)
Formally known as Louisville Central High School Magnet Career Academy, Central High School is a public high school in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, United States.-Overview:...
before engaging the University of Kentucky in a legal test case intended to permit him to pursue further graduate study there.
Johnson was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...
fraternity.
Lawsuit
Johnson filed a federal lawsuit against the University of Kentucky in 1948, challenging the state's Day Law, the law that prohibited blacks and whites from attending the same schools.His challenge was successful, which allowed him to enter UK in 1949 as a 43-year-old graduate student. Although he left UK before earning a degree, the university presented him with an honorary doctor of letters degree in 1979.
Later years
Johnson continued teaching at Central until 1966, before spending another five years in the Jefferson County Public SchoolsJefferson County Public Schools (Kentucky)
Jefferson County Public Schools is a public school district located in Jefferson County, Kentucky and operating all but one of the public schools in the county...
as an assistant principal at two junior high schools (one of the schools was Parkland Jr. High). After retirement from the public school system, he then spent three years in a similar administrative capacity at a Catholic high school.
He was also a member of the Jefferson County Board of Education
Jefferson County Public Schools (Kentucky)
Jefferson County Public Schools is a public school district located in Jefferson County, Kentucky and operating all but one of the public schools in the county...
from 1978 to 1982. Lyman T. Johnson Middle School was named in his honor in 1980.
Johnson was an eloquent speaker. Once while defending underprivileged youth in public schools, Johnson waxed eloquent and quoted from memory lines from "Thomas Gray's "Elegy in a Country Church Yard." He said that these forgotten students were like desert flowers:"Full many a flower has been born to bloom and blush unseen and waste the sweetness of its fragrance on the desert air."
In addition to opening the door for thousands of minority students, he also led struggles to integrate neighborhoods, swimming pools, schools, and restaurants. He also headed the Louisville chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
for six years.
He died in Louisville, Kentucky in 1997 at the age of 91.
Legacy
The University of Kentucky currently offers a fellowshipScholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
program in his name for African-American and older, minority graduate students at the university. There is also a postdoctoral fellowship program named in his honor. Recipients are known as Lyman T. Johnson Postdoctoral Fellows.
Within the University of Kentucky Alumni Association the African American club group is named the Lyman T. Johnson African American Alumni.
Lyman T. Johnson Traditional Middle School is a school in Louisville, Kentucky that is named in his honor.
Dr. Wade Hall, Professor Emeritus and former Chair of the English Department of Bellarmine University, wrote a biography of Johnson titled: The Rest of the Dream: The Black Odyssey of Lyman Johnson(University of Kentucky Press, 1988).
External links
- Oral History Interview with Lyman Johnson from Oral Histories of the American South
- Oral History Interview with Lyman Johnson, 1976 from African American Oral History Collection, University of Louisville
- Oral History Interview with Lyman Johnson, 1982 from African American Oral History Collection, University of Louisville
- Lyman T. Johnson Papers, University of Louisville