By Theresa Marie Wilson
Longtime resident J. Johnson has been named the Grover Beach 2014 Citizen of the Year by the Arroyo Grande & Grover Beach Chamber of Commerce.
“I was surprised,” Johnson said and jokingly added, “I figure that if you live long enough, they run out of people. They figure, ‘We have given it to everyone else, who’s left?’”
In 1959, 11-year-old Johnson and his family moved from Iowa to what was then Grover City. It didn’t take him long to acclimate to the area and begin what would become a lifetime of community involvement.
He was student body president at Arroyo Grande High School in 1966, was a member of Eagle Scout Troop 13 in Grover Beach, where he earned a Silver Beaver award, and worked at Miner’s Hardware and the Kobara strawberry farm during high school.
Johnson went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Cal Poly as well as a teaching credential. In 1968, he joined the Pismo Beach Police Department working his way up to sergeant before resigning in 1980 to practice law, which he continues to do today.
In 1985, Johnson joined the ranks as a volunteer firefighter for the Grover Beach Fire Department. Four years later he was awarded Division Chief Firefighter of the Year. He resigned after 15 years of service.
Over the more than 50 years Johnson has lived in the area, he has been an active member of several community service organizations. He is past president for both the Arroyo Grande and the Grover Beach chambers of commerce as well as past president of the Santa Lucia Area Boy Scouts Council, the Grover Beach Rotary Club and the Cal Poly Mustang Athletics Foundation.
Currently, Johnson is a charter member of the Oceano Elks Lodge, a member of the 5-Cities Men’s Club and president of the 5-Cities Community Service Foundation. He serves on the Clark Center Foundation Endowment Committee, the Grace Bible Church administration team, and is an Arroyo Grande High School Eagle Booster.
Johnson is also an attorney member of both the California Arson Investigators and the San Luis Obispo Fire Investigation Strike Team. He serves on the Navy League, Sheriff’s Advisory Council and the American Legion.
Johnson said community service was part of his upbringing.
“It’s very important,” he said. “My parents were always volunteering in the community for everything. That is just how I grew up, and I still do it.”
Of all the community organizations he has been involved with, Johnson said the 5-Cities Men’s Club holds a special pride for him.
“We have done so much for the community,” he said. “We have over $1.7 million in our foundation that we are going to use to build the rec center. We just did $16,000 (of upgrades) in Mentone Park. We have done several hundred thousand dollars worth of work around here. It is really amazing to me that we do that. We are a small club and have only been here since 1996.”
Johnson will be presented with the Citizen of the Year Award at the Arroyo Grande & Grover Beach Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner beginning at 5 pm on Thursday, Jan. 29 at the South County Regional Center. Tickets for the dinner are $60. For more information about the dinner or to purchase tickets, contact the Arroyo Grande & Grover Beach Chamber of Commerce at 489-1488.
