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2006 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 161
Celebrating the life of Ford T. Johnson, Sr.
 
Agreed to by the Senate, February 2, 2006
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 10, 2006
 

WHEREAS, Ford T. Johnson, Sr., native son, departed this life on August 7, 2005; and

WHEREAS, Ford T. Johnson, Sr., attended Saint Paul's College in Lawrenceville and graduated from Florida A & M University, and the Howard University School of Dentistry in 1947; and

WHEREAS, Ford T. Johnson, Sr., served his country with distinction as a Captain in the Dental Corps of the United States Army from 1952 to 1954; and

WHEREAS, Ford T. Johnson, Sr., became a member of the Academy of General Dentistry in 1965, was an active member of the Peter B. Ramsey Dental Society, which was named for the first African-American dentist in Richmond, and served for 23 years as secretary of the Old Dominion Dental Society; and

WHEREAS, he practiced dentistry in Richmond for over 50 years before his retirement and continued to practice on a part-time basis until his health began to decline; and

WHEREAS, Ford T. Johnson, Sr., received many awards, among them the Old Dominion Dental Society's Outstanding Accomplishments and Contributions Award in Organized Dentistry in 1975, the United Negro College Fund's Distinguished Leadership Award in 1978, the Academy of General Dentistry's Man of the Year for Outstanding and Dedicated Services Award in 1987, induction as a Fellow in the Virginia Dental Association in 1992, Emeritus Status by the Old Dominion Dental Society in 1997, and the distinction of Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry in 1997; and

WHEREAS, Ford T. Johnson, Sr., also served as a member of the Richmond Human Relations Commission, Assistant Professor of Operative Dentistry of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry from 1989 to 2001, received Charter Membership in the President's Council at Saint Paul's College in Lawrenceville, was awarded the Virginia Dental Association Life Membership Award in 1985, and was appointed to the State Board of Medical Assistance Services in 1985; and

WHEREAS, Ford T. Johnson, Sr., was conversant on many social issues and actively participated in several professional associations and community organizations, including the Richmond Chapter of the NAACP, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and Club 533; and

WHEREAS, he was a devoted member of St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Richmond and served faithfully as lay reader, vestryman, youth ministry advisor, and member and officer of the Knights at St. Philip's Episcopal Church; and

WHEREAS, he loved hunting and fishing, often sharing his bounty with friends and strangers, and he enjoyed these hobbies until the end; and

WHEREAS, Ford T. Johnson, Sr., was highly respected by his colleagues in the dental profession as an outstanding and dedicated dentist; and family, friends, and patients were touched by his caring and genuine nature; and

WHEREAS, a serious yet comical and sensitive man, Ford T. Johnson, Sr. possessed the rare quality and ability to relate to all people; and

WHEREAS, his smile, wit, and laughter will long be remembered and missed by all who knew and loved him, and he was a rare person with a common touch for all; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Ford T. Johnson, Sr., affectionately known as "Ford T" and "Doc"; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Ford T. Johnson, Sr., in honor of his life of service to his neighbors, his community, and the Commonwealth, and as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.