Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 10-15-21

Feature
WW II Veteran Celebrates 100th Birthday
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Thursday, October 14th,
Mr. Emanuel Purdue Johnson celebrated his 100th birthday. His family, friends, and neighbors will help him celebrate Saturday, October 16th, at the Emanuel P. John- son Recreation Center, 5855 S 78th St, Tampa, FL, 33619, from 5:30 p.m. until 10 p.m.
He is looking forward to the celebration in which he is the guest of honor. He expects the event to be well attended by people from all walks of life.
Mr. Johnson began life in Marianna, Florida. He at- tended the local schools and graduated from Gilmore Acad- emy in Jackson County. He obtained employment as a Civilian at the Marianna Army Air Force Base.
“I wanted to go into the Air Force. But, World War II started in 1941, and I was drafted into the Army in 1942. When it ended in 1945, I was stationed in Hamburg, Ger- many. I was discharged in 1947,” Mr. Johnson said.
After the military, Mr. Johnson returned to Mari- anna and later moved to Tampa.
He married Mrs. Ruby Johnson and they became the parents of 5 sons and 3 daughters. He never remar- ried after her death in August
MR. EMANUEL P. JOHNSON
... Celebrates 100th birthday October 14th
recognized several times in the community and in the nation. In October 2013, Mr.
Johnson’s history was recorded as part of the Hills- borough County Public Li- brary Digital Collection, “Our Lives, Our Legacies, The Hillsborough Black Expe- rience.”
In June 2015, Mr. John- son was among more than 80 veterans in the Tampa Bay Area who were flown to Wash- ington, D. C. to tour the Me- morials.
In February 2016, U. S. Congresswoman Kathy Cas- tor included Mr. Johnson in her Veterans History Project. His story is now memorialized in the U. S. Library of Con- gress as a Veteran of World War II.
The Hillsborough County Commissioners allocated funding to rebuild the Progress Village Community Center. It opened as the Emanuel P. Johnson Recre- ation Center in March 2016.
His conversations are pep- pered with adages that make you think such as, “Patience is the companion of wisdom,” and “At my age, you lose a lit- tle bit of eyesight, a little bit of hearing, and a little bit of your mind. But, I still have a little left.”
And, he issues a warning for those who come to listen to his stories, “The longer I talk, the more I remember.”
For the past few years, Mr. Johnson has had something catchy to say about his birth- day. Last year, it was, “99 and still doing fine.” But this year, he said turning 100 “is just an-
other day.”
When talking to him on the
telephone, he never says good- bye. He ends the conversation with “pleasant words.” Happy Birthday, Mr. Johnson, pleasant words. (Proverbs 16-24).
U. S. Rep. Kathy Castor said, “I have no greater honor as a Member of Congress than to submit oral histories of our war-era heroes from the Greatest Generation into the Library of Congress as part of the Veterans History Project, including Mr. Johnson’s family history and recount of his service in the U.S. Army – he drove across Germany dur- ing and after World War II.
“He then settled in Tampa to help with the development of the Progress Village com- munity and has since been revered for his many contribu- tions. Tampa Bay has been fortunate to call him an exem- plar neighbor and I wish him a 100th birthday blessed with love, peace and health.”
Meeting
1980. “There will never be an- other Ruby,” he said.
During an earlier inter- view, Mr. Johnson recalled when construction began on the Progress Village subdivi- sion, a subdivision earmarked for Blacks in southern Hills- borough County in 1959. The Johnsons and their 3 chil- dren were among the first 7 families to move into the sub- division. “I paid a $250.00 down payment, and a mort- gage of $56 per month for 40 years,” he said.
Once he moved into the area, Mr. Johnson, along with 4 others, took out a loan
to create the establishment of the Progress Village Civic Council. He and 14 others were also responsible for building Harris Temple United Methodist Church, the first church in the subdivision. It opened in 1964 and re- mained in existence until 2012.
He remembered dedicat- ing many hours to helping es- tablish the new community. But, it was not for notoriety. “All I ever wanted was a car, a job, a house, and a family, and that is just what I got.”
He continues to serve as the “Honorary Mayor and His- torian of Progress Village.”
A member of Keeney Chapel United Methodist Church, he retired from DeVoe Paint Company in 1996, after 46 years of service.
Mr. Johnson has been
Regular Meeting Of The Board Of Commissioners
Of The Housing Authority Of The City Of Tampa
The Regular/Virtual meet- ing of the Board of Commission- ers of the Housing Authority of the City of Tampa is scheduled for Wednesday, October 20, 2021 at 8:30 a. m.
To join the meeting: • Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or An- droid: https://meetings.-ring- central.com/j/1483744723?pwd =Qkd5VEMrZmJhQythSG1tcU dTVG 1PUT09 Password: 423827
• Or Telephone: Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 (470)8692200 Meeting ID: 148 374 4723.
All board meetings are open to the public.
Any person, who might wish to appeal any decision made by the Board of Commissioners, with respect to any matter con- sidered at this meeting, is ad- vised that he/she will need a record of the proceedings; for such purpose, he/she may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings be made, which will include the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be asked.
PAGE 8-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2021