John A Johnson High School - Maroon Yearbook (St Paul, MN)

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T was a Chinese American who, by long patient scientific work, perfected the Cali- fornia orange.

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DOTS ..... and DASHES ---- c1bout.lOl-INSCDN T was in honor of the late Governor John A. Johnson of Minnesota that our school received its name. Mr. Johnson was a poor Norwegian boy of St. Peter, Minnesota, who rose by his merits to be one of America's best known meng and had he not died in office, it is probable that he would have had a national career, for he was mentioned as a man of presidential possibilities. After Governor J ohnson's death in September, 1909, the great admira- tion of all classes for him inspired various movements to honor his memory. At just this time, a new high school building was being erected on the East Side, and because of the high regard for the late governor and because this section of the city was inhabited largely by Governor Johnson's country- men, it was decided to dedicate this new building in his honor. On April 11, 1911, Johnson became a high school with Mr. John M. Guise as principal. Mr. Bailey was made principal of Cleveland which ceased to be a high school, and remained as a grade school only until it became a junior high in September, 1926. During the first year of John- son's history, there were approximately five hundred students and a faculty of seventeen. At the graduating exercises the first year, forty-one seniors were graduated. When war was declared in 1917, there was a prompt re- sponse from both Cleveland and Johnson. Johnson was organized into a great Red Cross unit with which all departments in the school were co- ordinated. J ohnson's organization was the first that was set up in the city and its plan was adopted as a model by the other high schools. Two-hun- dred and eighty-two students and five of the faculty enlisted. Mr. Guise went over seas to work with the Y. M. C. A. During this time Dr. Little served as principal in his place. On November 15, 1932, Mr. John M. Guise died after an illness of two months. During his twenty-two years of active service at Johnson, Mr. Guise worked faithfully and unceasingly for the betterment of the school. On November 28, 1932, Dr. William J. Little, director of high schools, took over the principalship of Johnson. Johnson has grown much since 1911, and today it is one of the leading high schools in St. Paul. In com- parison with that year when the faculty numbered seventeen, students, about five hundred, the graduating class, forty-one, we now have a faculty of fifty-one, one thousand three hundred and eighty-seven students, and a graduating class of three hundred thirty-seven.