HI, I'M ERIC FORD FROM MADE
HERE.
VINCE FRANKE ALONG WITH NORTHERN
VERMONT UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN
THE VERMONT GOVERNMENT AND
HISTORY CLASS TEAMED UP TO
CREATE THE FILM, JOHNSON,
STORIES FROM THE COMMUNITY.
STUDENTS CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS
WITH TOWN RESIDENTS AND COLLEGE
ALUMNI AND CONTRIBUTED TO
EDITING REVIEW SESSIONS FOR A
FILM THAT IS PART STORY-TELLING
AND PART HISTORICAL RECORD OF
THE TOWN OF JOHNSON.
THE FILM FEATURES OVER 200 LOCAL
HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS COMBINED
WITH ON-CAMERA INTERVIEWS.
YOU CAN WATCH THIS FILM AND
SEVERAL MORE FROMFILM-MAKER
VINCE FRANKE.
ENJOY THE FILM AND THANKS FOR
WATCHING.
>> JOHNSON WAS A DESTINATION
BEFORE THAT, THE PEOPLE IN THE
OUTLYING AREA WOULD COME IN ON
FRIDAY AFTERNOON TO GO SHOPPING.
>> WE BECAME A VERY ACCEPTING
COMMUNITY.
I THINK THAT THAT'S ONE OF THE
THINGS ABOUT JOHNSON.
IT'S A VERY ACCEPTING PLACE.
WE'RE NOT JUDGMENTAL.
>> THERE IS A LOT OF GREAT
THINGS ABOUT THIS TOWN.
JOHNSON HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY HOME,
AND I GUESS I DON'T EVER FORESEE
BEING ANYWHERE ELSE.
>> IT'S A SPECIAL PLACE WITHOUT
A DOUBT.
I HAVE TO SAY THAT THROUGH THE
YEARS, AND NOW, TOO, LOTS OF
WONDERFUL PEOPLE THAT I HAVE MET
HERE, AND HAVE DONE THINGS WITH
AND HAVE JUST ENJOYED.
>> SINCE BEING CHARTERED IN
1792, JOHNSON HAS DEVELOPED INTO
A RESILIENT AND COMPASSIONATE
COMMUNITY.
THE STORIES AND MEMORIES SHARED
IN THIS ORAL HISTORY PROVIDE A
PEEK INTO THE PAST AND OFFER AS
VIEW OF WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE FROM
BOTH A CENTURY AGO TO A FEW
YEARS AGO.
STUDENTS IN THIS GOVERNMENT AND
HISTORY CLASS AT JOHNSON STATE
COLLEGE SET OUT AND INTERVIEWED
MANY RESIDENTS TO CAPTURE THESE
STORIES.
WE HOPE TO PROVIDE A GLIMPSE
INTO WHAT MAKES THE COMMUNITY SO
SPECIAL.
>> WE STARTED IN JOHNSON, AND SO
FAR MY WHOLE LIFE HAS BEEN IN
JOHNSON.
MY WHOLE CHILDHOOD WAS SPENT
WITH MAIN STREET AS MY
PLAYGROUND, AND EVERYBODY LIVED
THE SAME WAY.
WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT BUT WE ALSO
DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WE DID NOT
HAVE, SO WE, WE JUST DIDN'T
WORRY ABOUT LIFE.
THE PEOPLE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD,
AT LEAST, WERE ALL EMPLOYED
EITHER AT THE TOP MILL OR MINE
IN THAT INDUSTRY, OR OVER WHERE
THEY WERE MAKING FLOORING OVER
THERE INSTEAD OF SELLING
BUILDING MATERIALS.
FOR FUN IT WAS MAKE YOUR OWN,
LIKE MOST KIDS, THERE WAS AN OLD
FIELD WHERE THE MARKET IS NOW.
AND IT WAS PRIVATELY OWNED, BUT
IT WAS A SORT OF A PUBLIC
PLAYGROUND OF ALL THE KIDS ON
MAIN STREET.
THAT BECAME OUR BALL DIAMOND,
AND ALSO BECAME OUR TRACK FOR
RIDING BICYCLES.
>> WE GREW UP TO GO.
WE PLAYED TOGETHER.
WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT FOR TOYS,
BUT YOU MADE DO WITH WHAT YOU
HAD.
YOU PLAYED OUTDOORS AND HIDE AND
SEEK, AND YOU MIGHT RIDE ON THE
HAY WAGON, YOU KNOW, OR ANYTHING
LIKE THAT.
>> FOR WINTER FUN, IT WAS
SLEDDING AND SKATING AND THAT
SORT OF THING, BUT ALWAYS, ALL
OUR FUN ACTIVITIES WERE
OUTDOORS.
WE WOULD GO TO THE TOP OF THE
HILL AND SLIDE RIGHT DOWN ON
ROUTE 15 AND MAKE THE TURN AND
GO UP TO THE BRIDGE, THERE WAS
NEVER ANY ACCIDENTS BECAUSE
THERE WERE VERY FEW CARS ON
ROUTE 15.
>> AROUND 1955 MY FATHER BUILT
THAT, THE HOMEMADE ROPE TOE.
ALL THE KIDS FROM SCHOOL SKIED
THERE IN THE WINTERTIME.
AN ELECTRIC MOTOR AND A REAR-END
OF A MODEL A FOR A DRIVE
MECHANISM.
AND WE WOULD GET PULLED UP THE
HILL BEHIND THE HOUSE.
A PRETTY STEEP GRADE.
>> THERE ALWAYS WAS A GROUP OF
PEOPLE THAT WERE INTERESTED IN
MAKING THINGS HAPPEN IN THIS
TOWN.
OVER THE YEARS, OF HUBERT BEARD,
WHO HAD THE HARDWARE STORE, IT
WAS RENOWNED IN NORTHERN VERMONT
BECAUSE IF HE DID NOT HAVE IT,
NOBODY HAD IT.
AND HE RAN MOVIES FOR KIDS AND
HAD A BOWLING ALLEY GOING ON
DOWN WHERE THE ART SCHOOL IS.
>> JOHNSON HAS NO SHORTAGE OF
POWERFUL STORIES OF PEOPLE IN
THE AREA WORKING SELF IT ISLY -G
SELFLESSLY IN THE COMMUNITY.
WE HEARD STORIES FAR INTO
JOHNSON'S PAST.
THE HISTORY OF THE TOWN AND SOME
OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK HAVE
MADE THE TOWN STRONG
UNFORTUNATELY HAVE BEEN SOME OF
THE TRAGEDIES THAT HAVE STRUCK
THE TOWN.
PROBABLY THE MOST NOTED ONE, OF
COURSE, IS THE 1927 FLOOD.
LIKE MOST DISASTERS OF THAT
TYPE, ESPECIALLY IN VERMONT,
SEEMED TO BRING PEOPLE OF THE
AREA TOGETHER.
CERTAINLY, THE 1927 FLOOD DID
THAT.
LIVES WERE LOST, PROPERTY WAS
LOST, AND PUBLIC PROPERTIES LIKE
HIGHWAYS AND BRIDGES AND POWER
STATIONS AND ALL OF THAT STUFF
WERE DESTROYED IN THE 1927
FLOOD.
IT HAD TO BE REBUILT.
AND IT WAS FROM NEIGHBORING --
PEOPLE OF NEIGHBORING TOWNS AS
WELL AS THE RESIDENTS RECOVERING
FROM THE INITIAL DISASTER.
THAT REALLY MADE THE TOWN REALLY
STRONG.
THE STRENGTH CREATED WAS LIVED
ON, AND DRAWN FROM, FOR A NUMBER
OF YEARS AFTER THE FLOOD.
THOSE SORTS OF THINGS, I THINK,
MADE THE COMMUNITY EVERY TIME
STRONGER THAN IT HAD BEEN PRIOR
TO THE EVENT.
IN RESPONSE TO THE 1927 FLOOD
DEFINES MANY COMMUNITIES IN
VERMONT.
THE JOHNSON COMMUNITY HAS ROOTS
THAT GO BACK FARTHER THAN 1927.
>> THE MILL, OWNER, WAS NOT
INITIALLY STARTED TO PRODUCE
FABRIC.
WHEN THE MILL STARTED IT WAS
STARTED TO, MOSTLY TO PRODUCE
THIS BECAUSE FOR A LOT OF THE
SHEEP THAT WERE AROUND, THERE
WAS A LARGE POPULATION OF SHEEP
IN THE AREA, AND THE WORLD
NEEDED TO BE, YOU KNOW, THE
SHEEP WOOL NEEDED TO BE CLEANED
AND CART AND HAD TURNED INTO A
YARN THAT COULD BE USED.
THAT'S, REALLY, WHAT GENERATED
THE START OF THE WOOL MILL.
IN MY YEARS IN THE 1950s, THEY
WERE MOVING AND MAKING THEIR OWN
FABRIC WITH THE PLANT IN BACK OF
THE SEWING PART OF THE JOHNSON
MILL FACTORY AND KNOWN ALL OVER,
OF COURSE, FOR THEIR PANTS THAT
THEY MADE.
IF YOU TALKED TO A LOT OF THE
WOMEN THAT ENDED UP WORKING
THERE, THEY DIDN'T WORK AT THE
WOOLEN MILL, THEY WORK AT THE
PANTS FACTORY.
>> THIS WAS, BASICALLY, A
FARMING SOCIETY, AND WE HAD OUR
MILLS.
THE SAW MILLS, LUMBER MILLS,
ASBESTOS MILL.
>> THERE WERE A NUMBER OF MILLS
ON THE RIVER.
FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WAS A RAKE
SHOP UP IN EAST JOHNSON ON THE
RIVER USING A LOT OF THE POWER
OF THE RIVER, THAT PRODUCED AS
MANY AS 50,000 A YEAR ALL MADE
BY HAND AND SHIPPED ALL OVER THE
COUNTRY.
THAT'S WHEN HAYING, A LOT OF IT
WAS DONE BY HAND.
TO ME, IT'S INTERESTING TO NOTE
THAT MOST OF THOSE SMALL MILLS
WERE ON THE RIVER.
THE WATER OF THE RIVER WAS
EASIER TO CONTROL THAN THE WATER
OF THE LAMAR RIVER SO THE GUY
HUNT RIVER BECAME REALLY
IMPORTANT TO THE INDUSTRIAL
GROWTH OF THE WATER-POWERED
MILLS IN JOHNSON.
>> YOU KNOW, THE SAW MILL OVER
HERE, YOU KNOW, IN THE EARLY,
EARLY TEENS THROUGH 1950s WITH
THE HARDWOOD FLOORING MILL, AND
THEY SHIPPED HARDWOOD FLOORING
ALL OVER THE WORLD.
THE RAILROAD KEPT THIS TOWN
GOING BACK IN THE 1920s AND
1930s.
EVERYTHING WAS SHIPPED BY
RAILROAD.
>> OUR MAIL CAME, ALL CAME BY
RAIL, AND AT THE TIME, AND IT
WAS PICKED UP ABOUT THREE TIMES
A DAY.
THE MILL WAS A REAL ECONOMIC
DRIVER OF JOHNSON FOR A NUMBER
OF YEARS.
>> MY FATHER, HE WENT THERE TO
WORK FOR TWO WEEKS, TEMPORARY
HELP, AND HE RETIRED 45 YEARS
LATER AT THE END OF THE TWO
WEEKS.
BUT, THAT WAS COMMON, AND ALL OF
MY FRIENDS' PARENTS, MOST OF
THEM WERE AT THE MILL.
THE MILL, AT THAT TIME, BETWEEN
THE MILL AND THE MINE, WERE
PROBABLY EMPLOYING 75 TO 90
PEOPLE, AND WORKING, LONG BEFORE
MY FATHER RETIRED, THEY WERE
WORKING THREE SHIFTS.
WORKING 24 HOURS A DAY.
AT LEAST FIVE TO SIX DAYS A
WEEK.
AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE
TOUT MILL WAS PRODUCING ENOUGH
MATERIAL THAT WAS VERY
SUPPORTIVE OF THE RAILROAD, SO
THE RAILROAD WAS VERY ACTIVE
THANKS TO BOTH THE ASBESTOS MINE
AND THE ASBESTOS SHIPPING, AND
THE TOUT MILL.
AND, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, AS
THOSE INDUSTRIES STARTED TO
CLOSE UP ALONG THE RAIL LINE, SO
DID THE RAIL.
JOHNSON WENT THROUGH MANY PHASES
OF CHANGE.
THE COMMUNITY HATS STRUGGLED AT
TIMES, AND IT'S ALSO BEEN A VERY
PROSPEROUS PLACE TO DO BUSINESS
FROM TIME TO TIME, AND THE WHOLE
CURRENT OF THE TOWN CHANGED FROM
AGRICULTURE TO THE INDUSTRIAL
TOWN TO WHAT'S NOW THE EDUCATION
AND ARTS.
>> WHEN CONSIDERING THE
INFLUENCES OF COMMUNITY AND
INDUSTRY ON THE VILLAGE OF
JOHNSON, ONE CAN'T SEPARATE HOW
INTERTWINED AND INFLUENTIAL THE
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS HAVE
BEEN.
IN 1928, THE NORMAL SCHOOL
OPENED FOCUSING ON TEACHER
TRAINING PROGRAMS AND QUICKLY
MODERNIZED BECOMING KNOWN AS THE
JOHNSON TEACHER COLLEGE IN 1947.
THE COLLEGE WAS MADE -- IT MADE
JOHNSON WHAT IT IS TODAY.
THERE IS SOMETHING TO SAY FOR A
SMALL TOWN THAT HAS A COLLEGE
AND WITH THE RELATIONSHIP, AND
THE COLLEGES TRIED TO PROMOTE
THAT.
THE RELATIONSHIP, YOU KNOW,
SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE HAS BEEN A
GOOD ONE.
>> I CAME TO JOHNSON IN 1952 TO
BE A STUDENT AT THE COLLEGE.
I GREW UP IN WATERVILLE,
ACTUALLY, AND THAT WAS REALLY
QUITE DIFFERENT THAN IT IS
TODAY.
THE McCLELLAN BUILDING IS
WHERE THE COLLEGE WAS.
ALL OF OUR CLASSES WERE IN
THERE.
THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE AND THE
DEED'S OFFICE, THE OFFICES WERE
THERE, AND WHEN WE HAD MEALS, WE
HAD TO GO DOWN THE HILL AND OVER
TO MAIN STREET HERE TO THE HALL,
IT'S NOT THE HALL MORE, BUT IT
IS ALWAYS THAT TO ME, AND ONE OF
THE UNIQUE THINGS ABOUT
CHESS-A-MORE HALL, EATING THERE,
AND AT EACH TABLE THERE WERE
SMALL TABLES AND AT EACH TABLE
THERE WAS A HOST AND HOSTESS,
AND ONE OF THE HOUSEMOTHERS,
EACH SEMESTER, POSTED THIS
LOVELY BIG POSTER THAT TOLD
WHERE PEOPLE WERE TO SIT AND WHO
WAS HOST AND HOSTESS AT EACH
TABLE, A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN
WHAT HAPPENS NOW IN THE DINING
HALL NOW, RIGHT.
WE COULD GO DOWN THE STREET, BUT
WE HAD TO BE BACK IN THE DORM.
EVERYBODY HAD TO BE IN,
CERTAINLY, BY 10:00, I THINK,
YOU COULD GO DOWN FOR A PERIOD
OF TIME BUT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO
BE STUDYING, SO.
>> I MET A PERSON FROM JOHNSON
STATE COLLEGE.
I WAS IMPRESSED WITH THE DEAN,
INVITED, ASKED ME TO COME, AND I
ACCEPTED.
I CAME IN 1958, AND THERE WERE
13 FACULTY MEMBERS.
WE DID A LOT OF THINGS TOGETHER.
YOU COULDN'T HAVE A PARTY
ADMISSION, BUT INVITED EVERYONE.
MY WIFE AND I DECIDED AFTER TWO
NIGHTS THAT WE WERE, WE WOULD
NEVER LEAVE VERMONT, SO THAT'S
THE IMPRESSION THAT JOHN HAD ON
US.
YOU REALLY FELT YOU WERE AN
IMPORTANT PART OF THE COLLEGE,
ITSELF.
THAT MEANT A LOT.
ANY FACULTY MEMBER OR STUDENT
THAT CAME, THE STUDENTS WOULD
OFTEN SAY THE JOHNSON STATE
COLLEGE MADE A DIFFERENCE IN
THEM.
>> I WAS A SENIOR IN HIGH
SCHOOL, MAYBE A JUNIOR IN HIGH
SCHOOL, LIKE 1954 WAS THE, WHERE
THE COLLEGE STARTED TO GO UP ON
THE HILL, THE MARTIN HALL BEING
THE FIRST BUILDING THAT THEY
CONSTRUCTED UP THERE ON THE FARM
PROPERTY.
THAT WAS, AT THAT TIME, IT, AND
THEY PURCHASED IT AND STARTED
MOVING EVERYTHING UP ON THE
HILL.
A LOT OF FACTORIES STARTED
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE G.I.
BILL TO GO ONTO GET FURTHER
EDUCATION.
A NUMBER OF THEM CAME TO
JOHNSON, WHICH WAS THEN THE
JOHNSON TEACHER'S COLLEGE AT
THAT TIME.
AND THEN A LOT OF THOSE STARTED
GETTING DOWNTOWN HOUSING, AND
THAT'S REALLY THE FIRST TIME
THAT THE STUDENTS STARTED LIVING
OFF THE CAMPUS.
>> I LIVED IN JOHNSON SINCE
1966.
WHEN I FIRST CAME HERE, AT THE
FIRST ELECTION THAT I WENT TO,
TO REGISTER AND SIGN IN TO GET A
BALLOT, THEY AUTOMATICALLY GAVE
ME A REPUBLICAN BALLOT.
WELL, I DREW BACK AND I STILL
REMEMBER THE MAN LAUGHING, AND I
SAID, I AM SORRY, MISTER, BUT I
NEED ANOTHER BALLOT, AND HE WAS
LIKE WHAT?
>> THERE WERE TWO YEARS OF MY
LIFE HERE.
I HAD THE EARLY PART WHERE I HAD
MY HUSBAND AND THE CHILDREN, AND
WE HAD A WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL,
REALLY VERY, VERY FULL LIFE
THEN.
I THINK THAT THE LATE 1960s
AND THE 1970s WERE REALLY --
IT WAS WHEN THE COLLEGE WAS
GROWING AND EXCITING BECAUSE OF
THE GROWTH AND SO FORTH.
I THINK SOME OF THE THINGS THAT
HAPPENED DURING THOSE PERIODS,
WELL, THE GROWTH OF THE
BUILDINGS AND SO FORTH, THAT
TYPE OF THING, BUT STUDENTS, AS
WELL.
>> I LIVED IN WHAT WAS CALLED
THE DOMES, AND THAT'S WHAT IT
LITERALLY WAS, WAS A CLOSET HUT,
AND IT LOOKED LIKE AN IGLOO, BUT
THERE WERE BUILDINGS, GOVERNORS
AND SENATORS AT THAT TIME, AND
LIKE I SAID, I WORKED AT THE
DINER WASHING DISHES, AND THE
CARPENTERS AND THE OTHERS
WORKING THERE, THE CONCRETE GUYS
WOULD COME DOWN, AND THEY WOULD
BE LINED UP BEHIND THE COUNTER
STOOLS, AND AS SOON AS SOMEONE
GOT DONE EATING, THEY WERE GONE,
AND THEY SAT DOWN, AND SO THERE
WAS A BIG PUSH TO GET THE
COLLEGES DONE, AND THERE WERE A
LOT OF PEOPLE HERE AT THAT TIME.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STANDS
OUT TO ME IS A LOT OF MY FRIENDS
THAT I STILL HAVE TODAY CAME TO
JOHNSON TO SCHOOL, AND LIKE ME,
WHEN WE GRADUATED, WE STAYED
HERE TO RAISE OUR FAMILIES HERE,
GOOD JOBS.
LONG AND DIFFERENT
ORGANIZATIONS, LIKE THE
HISTORICAL SOCIETY, AND A COUPLE
OF DIFFERENT BOARDS OF THE
COLLEGE.
THEY WERE INVOLVED IN THE FOOD
SHELF, AND I SEE FRIENDS ALL
OVER TOWN INVOLVED IN THINGS.
>> THIS SENSE OF COMMUNITY HAS
SURFACED THROUGH MANY STORIES OF
LIVING IN JOHNSON.
PERHAPS, THE ATMOSPHERE OF AN
ENTIRE COMMUNITY CAN BE SEEN
THROUGH JUST ONE STORY.
>> MY HUSBAND PASSED AWAY IN
1982 -- 1983, RATHER.
HE HAD BRAIN CANCER.
THE WHOLE TOWN CAME TOGETHER FOR
THAT.
HE WAS ILL IN HIS LIVING ROOM
FOR NINE MONTHS.
I HAD TO COOK SUPPER.
THE CHURCH LADIES FROM ALL THE
CHURCHES DID IT, THE MINISTERS
FROM ALL THE CHURCHES CAME.
WE WERE BURNING WOOD THEN.
I HAD SEVERAL WOOD STOVES, I HAD
AN OLD COOK STOVE IN THE
KITCHEN, AND I HAD A WOOD STOVE
HERE.
AND WE WERE BURNING WOOD, AND WE
WERE RUNNING LOW, AND I JUST
HAPPENED TO MENTION TO A
NEIGHBOR, I GOT A LOOK AROUND.
DO YOU KNOW WHO IS SELLING WOOD?
I HAVE GOT TO GET SOME WOOD.
THE NEXT THING ISSUE, ONE OF THE
STUDENTS THAT I HAD HAD IN
SCHOOL PULLED UP AND DROPPED OFF
WOOD ON MY PORCH.
I DIDN'T THINK TOO MUCH ABOUT
THAT.
WELL, WHEN THE TIME CAME, THERE
WAS A DAY HENRY MANCHESTER FROM
THE MANCHESTER LUMBER GAVE ALL
HIS EQUIPMENT AND HIS DRIVERS,
HOWARD FROM THE MILL CLEARED
LAND UP THERE, AND HAD LOGGERS
COME IN.
A LOT OF LOGGERS IN NORTHERN
VERMONT PROBABLY GOTTEN BY THE
MANCHESTER FAMILY, VOLUNTEERED,
EVERYBODY IN TOWN SHOWED UP.
THERE WERE PICKUP TRUCKS THAT
WENT A QUARTER OF A MILE DOWN
THE ROAD, ALMOST A QUARTER OF A
MILE, I WOULD SAY.
MY YARD WAS FULL OF THEM.
88 PEOPLE SHOWED, AND WHEN THE
END OF THE DAY HAPPENED THERE
WERE 28 CORDS OF WOOD TAPED IN
MY BACKYARD.
THE CHURCH LADIES MADE
SANDWICHES.
THIS IS WHAT I AM TELLING YOU
ABOUT JOHNSON.
IT HAS A HEART.
>> OVER THE YEARS, THERE HAS
BEEN A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE COLLEGE AND THE
COMMUNITY WITH MANY PEOPLE
MOVING TO JOHNSON FOR AN
EDUCATION AND THEN STAYING AND
GIVING BACK TO THIS COMMUNITY.
>> I CAME TO JOHNSON AS A JUNIOR
FOR MY LAST TWO YEARS, IN 1973.
JOHNSON, I ALWAYS HARKEN BACK TO
MY COLLEGE THERE, AND THE
FRIENDS THAT I MADE ARE LIFELONG
FRIENDS.
I STILL SEE THEM ALL THE TIME.
AND THAT'S THE MOMENT THAT I
CHERISH THE MOST, THE PEOPLE%
THAT I MET, THE TEACHERS THAT I
HAD THERE.
>> MY CONNECTION TO THE TOWN AND
TO JOHNSON STATE IS I WAS A
STUDENT HERE, ACTUALLY, IN 1978
TO 1980, CAME HERE AS A VERY
LONG 17-YEAR-OLD, AND MY DESIRE
WAS TO MAKE THE FIELD HOCKEY
TEAM, AND CAME HERE MY FIRST
YEAR AND MADE THE FIELD HOCKEY
TEAM AND ENDED UP SEVENTH IN THE
NATION IN DIVISION THREE FIELD
HOCKEY.
I WAS A BUSINESS MANAGER MAJOR.
CAME BACK FROM THE PEACE CORPS
AND LOOKED FOR A JOB, OPENED UP
THE BURLINGTON FREE PRESS AND
SAW THE COORDINATOR AT JOHNSON
STATE.
THIS IS IN 1990, SO I APPLIED
FOR THAT POSITION, GOT THE
POSITION, THOUGHT I WOULD STAY
HERE FOR A YEAR OR TWO.
NOW IT'S BEEN 26 YEARS AT
JOHNSON STATE COLLEGE.
AND I HAVE HAD THE HONOR OF
WORKING WITH HUNDREDS AND
THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS WHO WANT
TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER
PLACE.
IT'S JUST BEEN A PURE JOY SO
THAT'S WHY I'VE BEEN HERE FOR 26
YEARS.
>> THE IMPORTANCE OF THE COLLEGE
AND COMMUNITY, IT'S A VERY, IT'S
A RELATIONSHIP THAT PRODUCES A
LOT OF ENERGY.
STUDENTS STRONGLY CONNECTED
USING FAMILY SERVICES, WITH THE
JOHNSON FOOD SHELF, THE FAMILY
CENTER, THE UNION BANK, THE
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, THE LOCAL
SKI RESORTS.
I THINK THE COLLEGE IS VERY
CONNECTED IN THE TOWN OF JOHNSON
AND THE STATE OF VERMONT AND
BEYOND, IT'S VERY MUCH A
REGIONAL RELATIONSHIP.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE SERVE PROGRAM
CONNECTS AND HELPS SUPPORT AND
THE ORGANIZATIONS HELP TO
SUPPORT THE STUDENTS TO LEARN
VIS-A-VIS THE DOING, THE
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING.
THE PROGRAM HAS DONE THINGS LIKE
WELL, THANKSGIVING BASKETS FOR
THE COMMUNITY AND HAVE, WELL,
ONE OF THE RECENT THINGS THAT I
HEAR, I HELPED TO PLANT TREES OR
TO TAKE CARE OF THE TREES WITH
THE CONSERVATION COMMITTEE,
HELPED THE SENIORS AT DIFFERENT
TIMES, AND I THINK THAT HAS
PROVIDED SOME CONNECTIONS TOO,
FOR PEOPLE, AND AGAIN, IT'S
GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER THAT
MAKES IT IMPORTANT.
>> I THINK THAT THE FIRST TIME
THAT I CAME TO VISIT THE CAMPUS,
I WAS SHOCKED THAT HOW PLEASANT
AND PEACEFUL THINGS WERE AND HOW
POLITE INDIVIDUALS WERE WHEN I
WAS HERE, SO IT WAS A GREAT
TIME.
IT WAS A GREAT TIME WHEN I WAS
HERE, AS A STUDENT ATHLETE.
I THINK THE BEST PART WAS THE
ABILITY TO DO MORE THAN JUST BE
A BASKETBALL PLAYER SO I WAS
INVOLVED IN THE STUDENT ATHLETIC
ADVISADVISORY COMMITTEE.
DURING THAT TIME WE HAD A COUPLE
OF EVENTS THAT WE HOSTED, AND WE
CONNECTED WITH NORWICH
UNIVERSITY IN DOING SOMETHING
CALLED A DROP AND SWAP THAT
STILL TAKE PLACE HERE AT JOHNSON
WHERE WE WOULD ACTUALLY HAVE
INDIVIDUALS BRING CLOTHES TO
JOHNSON, PEOPLE FROM NORTHERN
VERMONT, DROPPED CLOTHES OFF AT
JOHNSON, AND WE WERE WASHING AND
CLEANING THE CLOTHES, AND THEN
WE WOULD GIVE THE CLOTHES AWAY
TO ANYONE WHO NEEDED THEM THE IN
THE CASE DAY.
SO, I THINK THAT MY SENIOR YEAR
WAS THE FIRST YEAR THAT WE HAD
AT JOHNSON STATE, AND IT WAS A
BIG EVENT, AND IT STILL IS TO
THIS DAY, SO I THINK THAT WAS
ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING THINGS.
>> I'VE DEVELOPED A HIGHER LEVEL
OF PASSION FOR THE GAME OF
BASKETBALL, AND ALL THE LESSONS
I TRY TO TEACH FROM BASKETBALL
CAME FROM MY DEGREE HERE,
BASICALLY, IN ANTHROPOLOGY AND
SOCIOLOGY.
SO, YOU KNOW, FOR ME WHY NOT BE
AT JOHNSON, YOU KNOW, WHY NOT BE
AT A PLACE WHERE I CAN BRING
INDIVIDUALS FROM URBAN, SUBURBAN
AND RURAL AREAS TOGETHER FOR A
COMMON GOAL.
YOU KNOW ONE, AND WE LANDED IN
THIS VERY DIFFERENT PLACE FROM
CHICAGO AND DETROIT, PLACES THAT
I HAD KNOWN GROWING UP, AND BUT,
WHAT I DISCOVERED VERY QUICKLY
WAS THE COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE.
WE'RE TALKING A LOT ABOUT WHAT
WAS GOING ON IN THE AREA, AND
NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT IT BUT
TALKING ABOUT HOW TO GET
INVOLVED AND CONNECTED, AND WHAT
I HAVE SEEN IN JOHNSON IS THAT
THEY ARE ALWAYS -- THERE ALWAYS
SEEMS TO BE A FOCUS ON
EDUCATION, COLLEGE BEING AROUND
FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.
TO HAVE, YOU KNOW Y THE ART
EDUCATION AND STUDIO CENTER, AND
BEING HERE ALMOST 50 YEARS, AND
LONG-TIME RESIDENTS AND PEOPLE
WHO CAN TELL YOU HOW MANY
GENERATIONS THEY GO BACK LIVING
IN JOHNSON, IT'S ALSO A
COMMUNITY THAT REALLY
APPRECIATES AND VALUES PEOPLE
WHO ARE JUST PASSING THROUGH,
STOPPING BY FOR A VISIT, SO THAT
ENERGY AND THE FACT THAT
OFTENTIMES IT COMES TOGETHER
RATHER THAN BEING SOMETHING THAT
BUTTS UP AGAINST EACH OTHER IT,
MAKES FOR A REALLY DYNAMIC AND
WHAT I FIND EXCITING COMMUNITY
TO BE A PART OF.
>> THE CONNECTIONS WITH JOHNSON
STATE AND LARAWAY ARE MANY, AND
THEY ARE DEEP AND STRONG.
MOST OF THEM, THERE IS NO
CONTRACT.
THERE IS NO FORMAL
DOCUMENTATION, IT'S JUST
CONNECTIONS THAT PEOPLE HAVE
MADE OVER THE YEARS.
WE HAVE SOMETHING CALLED SHOOTER
FOR GOALS, AND WHAT THAT
BASICALLY IS, IS THAT IT ALLOWS
BASICALLY THE KIDS TO COME UP TO
JOHNSON STATE COLLEGE.
IT'S LIKE THREE OR FOUR
THURSDAYS GOING THE SPRING
SEMESTER WHERE THEY COME UP AND
OUR BASKETBALL PLAYERS CONNECT
WITH THE STUDENTS THERE, AND
BASICALLY, THEY DO A LOT OF FUN
DRILLS AND SKILLS THINGS, AND
PLAY A COUPLE GAMES AND STUFF
LIKE THAT, BUT IT'S REALLY AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE
INDIVIDUALS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE
COMMUNICATION WITH GUYS THAT, TO
SOME DEGREE, THEY MIGHT LOOK UP
TO, AND AT THE END OF THE
SEASON, THE COACHES BRING OUT
SOME OF THE OLD JERSEYS AND WE
GO INTO THE VARSITY GYM AND HAVE
A GAME BETWEEN A COUPLE OF
TEAMS, SCOREBOARD AND GET THE
MUSIC GOING AND THE COACHES DO
SOME PLAY-BY-PLAY, AND IT'S A
REALLY EXCITING EVENT, AND WE
ENCOURAGE THOSE CONNECTIONS
BECAUSE IT GIVES OUR YOUNG
PEOPLE A CHANCE TO THINK ABOUT
WHAT LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL
LOOKED LIKE AND START IMAGINING
THEMSELVES MAKING THAT
CONNECTION UP THERE.
>> IN AN EFFORT TO IMPROVE THE
STUDENT OPTIONS, IN JULY OF
2018, JOHNSON STATE COLLEGE
UNIFIED WITH LINDEN STATE
COLLEGE TO FORM NORTHERN VERMONT
UNIVERSITY.
WHILE NVU IS ONE UNIVERSITY, THE
CAMPUSES STILL HAVE THEIR
DISTINCT IDENTITIES ALLOWING
STUDENTS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES
WHILE ALSO MAINTAINING THE
STRONG BOND AND THE
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE
UNIVERSITY ORGANIZATIONS,
PROGRAMS, AND STUDENTS WITH THE
LOCAL COMMUNITY.
IF YOU LOOK BACK AT THE HISTORY
OF THE VILLAGE OF JOHNSON, AND
THE CONNECTION TO ITS DIFFERENT
SCHOOLS, THERE IS AN ONGOING
THREAD THAT SEEMS TO WEAVE ITS
WAY INTO ALL THESE STORIES.
REGARDLESS OF GOOD TIMES OR BAD,
THIS COMMUNITY HALLS ALWAYS BEEN
THERE FOR EACH OTHER AND SEEMS
TO BE POISED TO KEEP THE STRONG
BONDS AND TRADITIONS GOING INTO
THE FUTURE.
VERMONT PBS, PARTNERING WITH
LOCAL FILM-MAKERS TO BRING YOU
STORIES MADE HERE.
FOR MORE, VISIT VERMONTPBS.ORG.