"Longtime Friend, A Great Supporter Of Aviation And EAA"
Samuel C. Johnson, the
chairman emeritus of SC Johnson Wax who helped launch the EAA Young
Eagles program, died of cancer at his Racine, Wisconsin, home
Saturday, May 22, at the age of 76. During his 34-year tenure,
Johnson led his family's company to become a multi-billion-dollar
worldwide conglomerate.
His passion for aviation brought him to another Wisconsin
organization-EAA. He was a "longtime friend, a great supporter of
aviation and EAA," said EAA Founder and Chairman Paul Poberezny.
"He contributed to EAA in many ways. He believed in aviation and
people and in to the standards we set as an organization."
Johnson especially believed in young people. "Sam was one of the
first to step forward in support of EAA's Young Eagles Program and
lent it the credibility that it needed in the early days," said EAA
President Tom Poberezny. But his contribution went beyond the $1
million endowment. "He was an active participant in the program he
helped create and he flew nearly 200 Young Eagles. Without him, it
would have been difficult to reach our goal of flying one million
kids. We are all saddened at this loss, but Sam left a tremendous
legacy, which will keep his memory alive."
In 1997, Johnson received EAA's highest honor, the Freedom of
Flight Award, and he is a past member of the EAA President's
Council and a current member of EAA Chapter 838 in Racine. "He
meant quite a bit to the Chapter, obviously," said Chapter
President Tom Christensen. "That's an understatement. He was a
great benefactor for the Chapter and our facility. When the
facilities were in the building phase, he helped out
tremendously."
But his greatest involvement came through the Young Eagles program,
Christensen stressed. "I can recall when I was the interim Young
Eagles Coordinator for the Chapter and his secretary told me,
'You've got to call at least three weeks in advance so we can put
it on his calendar!' That was something that he looked forward to
doing. He was emphatic that 'We've got to teach these kids, get
them involved in aviation,'"
Christensen added. "It was from that spin-off that our Chapter got
into the schools. We did a six-week program in a local school in
2003 about aviation, as well as the EAA Wild Blue Wonders
program."
He loved aviation, and loved the replica Sikorsky S-38 amphibian
(above), named Carnauba, in which Johnson recreated his father's
1935 flight to Brazil in an S-38 of the same name that searched for
a reliable source of Carnauba palms, a key ingredient of the family
products. As part of this project Johnson made a touching film
about the replica's construction and flight that was also an
introspective examination of his relationship with his
father.
Several years ago, Johnson shared his film with EAAers at the
annual Hall of Fame banquet at the EAA Aviation Center in Oshkosh.
Visitors to the EAA AirVenture Museum can see parts of it at the
S-38 exhibit, and in his eyes and through his words, one clearly
feels Johnson's passion for flight.
Weather permitting, the S-38 will fly over Sam Johnson's memorial
services in Racine on Thursday. The airplane lives at the Racine
Chapter museum and, said Chapter 838's Christensen, "I think he's
behind the controls of an S-38 right now, heading down to
Brazil."
Sam Johnson has gone West -- indeed, perhaps, in an S-38. Happy
landings, Sam.