Walter Johnson High School - Windup Yearbook (Bethesda, MD)

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Since the day in 1776 when our county was named after General Richard Montgomery, the trend had been to name schools for educators, authors, or military men. This trend was broken in 1957 when a new S3 million dollar high school was named in honor of BasebalI's Walter Johnson. Walter Johnson, born in 1887, led a varied life. He pitched for the old Washington Senators baseball club, and was described by his contempor- aries as having two pitches - a fast one and a faster one. Nicknamed the Big Train for his blinding speed, he won 414 games during the twenty-one years he pitched, and he established more games during the twenty-one years he pitched, and he established His greatness: An endurmg Contrlbutlon to baseball more records than any other player in the history of the game. This won him a place as one of the five original Immortals in BasebaII's Hall of Fame. ln 1927 he retired from pitching, but emained in the sport he loved as a man- ger and broadcaster. In 1938, he was elected Mont- gomery County Commissioner, after which he moved into a farm on Old Georgetown Road, Two years later, he ade an unsuccessful campaign for ongress. In 1946, he died of a brain umor. Eight years after his death, a high chool was planned in the area of his ld Georgetown Road home. While eing planned, it was designated the orthwest Bethesda Senior High chool. Many people in the area who emembered Walter Johnson and his ove for the youth of his country re- uested that the name be changed in emory of him. Upon completion in 957, it bore the name 'Walter John- on High SchooI'. To this day we hold the distinction f having the only high school in the ountry named after a baseball player. s one envious writer explained the onor, When I tell people I went to Central High SchooI', they don't, ell, seem particularly interested.