Roy Johnson was born in Moline, Illinois, the third and youngest child of John Johnson and Elise Peterson, immigrants from Sweden. The family lived at 2625 Fifth Avenue, near Riverside Park.
When Roy was in grade school, his father broke his back and could no longer earn a living. Roy worked a variety of jobs to help make ends meet, one of his favorites being as a caddie for the town's elite at the Rock Island Arsenal Golf Club.
Roy was an eager student, but was expelled from Moline High School during his sophomore year after an unfortunate incident involving a blackboard eraser. On Armistice Day 1919, the first anniversary of the end of the Great War, newspapers had instructed everyone to stand and face east when whistles blew at exactly 11 o'clock. Roy followed directions, but was ordered by his teacher to sit down. Then, according to Roy, "the eraser somehow flew to strike him in the back of the ear."
With a diploma no longer in his future, Roy took work as a laborer for the Rock Island Railroad. He received regular promotions and eventually was transferred to Chicago as an accountant in 1927. Soon after moving Roy married Betty Weber, whom he had met at an ice skating event in Moline. Their first child, Roy Jr., was born the next year.
Roy changed tracks to the Milwaukee Road in 1930, but was laid off in 1932 as the Depression deepened. Two more children, Carol and Ben, were born during this time. The family returned to Moline and Roy worked a series of odd jobs until finally regaining his former position at the Milwaukee Road in April 1939. The family moved to Elgin, and for the next 25 years Roy rode the commuter line to his job in downtown Chicago.
Retirement and a pension came in 1964. The following January, with a foot of snow on the ground, Roy and Betty headed for Phoenix, Arizona, and a new residence in a mobile home community for seniors. Roy worked a couple of years at Goldwater's to qualify for Social Security, and then he and Betty became involved with volunteer projects, including the Friends of the Boarding Homes Association, a support group for people suffering from mental illness. Roy served as program director, a job he found immensely rewarding. "There's more love and affection in this room than anywhere in the world," he told a reporter in 1981.
One of Roy's prize possessions was a thank you note he received from Dr. Percy Julian for returning a Phi Beta Kappa key the doctor had lost in an Elgin park.
When Roy was in grade school, his father broke his back and could no longer earn a living. Roy worked a variety of jobs to help make ends meet, one of his favorites being as a caddie for the town's elite at the Rock Island Arsenal Golf Club.
Roy was an eager student, but was expelled from Moline High School during his sophomore year after an unfortunate incident involving a blackboard eraser. On Armistice Day 1919, the first anniversary of the end of the Great War, newspapers had instructed everyone to stand and face east when whistles blew at exactly 11 o'clock. Roy followed directions, but was ordered by his teacher to sit down. Then, according to Roy, "the eraser somehow flew to strike him in the back of the ear."
With a diploma no longer in his future, Roy took work as a laborer for the Rock Island Railroad. He received regular promotions and eventually was transferred to Chicago as an accountant in 1927. Soon after moving Roy married Betty Weber, whom he had met at an ice skating event in Moline. Their first child, Roy Jr., was born the next year.
Roy changed tracks to the Milwaukee Road in 1930, but was laid off in 1932 as the Depression deepened. Two more children, Carol and Ben, were born during this time. The family returned to Moline and Roy worked a series of odd jobs until finally regaining his former position at the Milwaukee Road in April 1939. The family moved to Elgin, and for the next 25 years Roy rode the commuter line to his job in downtown Chicago.
Retirement and a pension came in 1964. The following January, with a foot of snow on the ground, Roy and Betty headed for Phoenix, Arizona, and a new residence in a mobile home community for seniors. Roy worked a couple of years at Goldwater's to qualify for Social Security, and then he and Betty became involved with volunteer projects, including the Friends of the Boarding Homes Association, a support group for people suffering from mental illness. Roy served as program director, a job he found immensely rewarding. "There's more love and affection in this room than anywhere in the world," he told a reporter in 1981.
One of Roy's prize possessions was a thank you note he received from Dr. Percy Julian for returning a Phi Beta Kappa key the doctor had lost in an Elgin park.
Roy Johnson was born in Moline, Illinois, the third and youngest child of John Johnson and Elise Peterson, immigrants from Sweden. The family lived at 2625 Fifth Avenue, near Riverside Park.
When Roy was in grade school, his father broke his back and could no longer earn a living. Roy worked a variety of jobs to help make ends meet, one of his favorites being as a caddie for the town's elite at the Rock Island Arsenal Golf Club.
Roy was an eager student, but was expelled from Moline High School during his sophomore year after an unfortunate incident involving a blackboard eraser. On Armistice Day 1919, the first anniversary of the end of the Great War, newspapers had instructed everyone to stand and face east when whistles blew at exactly 11 o'clock. Roy followed directions, but was ordered by his teacher to sit down. Then, according to Roy, "the eraser somehow flew to strike him in the back of the ear."
With a diploma no longer in his future, Roy took work as a laborer for the Rock Island Railroad. He received regular promotions and eventually was transferred to Chicago as an accountant in 1927. Soon after moving Roy married Betty Weber, whom he had met at an ice skating event in Moline. Their first child, Roy Jr., was born the next year.
Roy changed tracks to the Milwaukee Road in 1930, but was laid off in 1932 as the Depression deepened. Two more children, Carol and Ben, were born during this time. The family returned to Moline and Roy worked a series of odd jobs until finally regaining his former position at the Milwaukee Road in April 1939. The family moved to Elgin, and for the next 25 years Roy rode the commuter line to his job in downtown Chicago.
Retirement and a pension came in 1964. The following January, with a foot of snow on the ground, Roy and Betty headed for Phoenix, Arizona, and a new residence in a mobile home community for seniors. Roy worked a couple of years at Goldwater's to qualify for Social Security, and then he and Betty became involved with volunteer projects, including the Friends of the Boarding Homes Association, a support group for people suffering from mental illness. Roy served as program director, a job he found immensely rewarding. "There's more love and affection in this room than anywhere in the world," he told a reporter in 1981.
One of Roy's prize possessions was a thank you note he received from Dr. Percy Julian for returning a Phi Beta Kappa key the doctor had lost in an Elgin park.
When Roy was in grade school, his father broke his back and could no longer earn a living. Roy worked a variety of jobs to help make ends meet, one of his favorites being as a caddie for the town's elite at the Rock Island Arsenal Golf Club.
Roy was an eager student, but was expelled from Moline High School during his sophomore year after an unfortunate incident involving a blackboard eraser. On Armistice Day 1919, the first anniversary of the end of the Great War, newspapers had instructed everyone to stand and face east when whistles blew at exactly 11 o'clock. Roy followed directions, but was ordered by his teacher to sit down. Then, according to Roy, "the eraser somehow flew to strike him in the back of the ear."
With a diploma no longer in his future, Roy took work as a laborer for the Rock Island Railroad. He received regular promotions and eventually was transferred to Chicago as an accountant in 1927. Soon after moving Roy married Betty Weber, whom he had met at an ice skating event in Moline. Their first child, Roy Jr., was born the next year.
Roy changed tracks to the Milwaukee Road in 1930, but was laid off in 1932 as the Depression deepened. Two more children, Carol and Ben, were born during this time. The family returned to Moline and Roy worked a series of odd jobs until finally regaining his former position at the Milwaukee Road in April 1939. The family moved to Elgin, and for the next 25 years Roy rode the commuter line to his job in downtown Chicago.
Retirement and a pension came in 1964. The following January, with a foot of snow on the ground, Roy and Betty headed for Phoenix, Arizona, and a new residence in a mobile home community for seniors. Roy worked a couple of years at Goldwater's to qualify for Social Security, and then he and Betty became involved with volunteer projects, including the Friends of the Boarding Homes Association, a support group for people suffering from mental illness. Roy served as program director, a job he found immensely rewarding. "There's more love and affection in this room than anywhere in the world," he told a reporter in 1981.
One of Roy's prize possessions was a thank you note he received from Dr. Percy Julian for returning a Phi Beta Kappa key the doctor had lost in an Elgin park.
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