Donald L. Johnson Obituary (1927 - 2006)

Don L. Johnson, age 78, of Menomonie, died at home Friday, Jan. 20, after a long battle with cancer and Parkinson's disease. Don was born to Harvey and Madeline (Cox) Johnson in Milwaukee County on March 18, 1927. He attended public and parochial schools in Milwaukee and West Allis, but spent much of his boyhood on the farm of his maternal grandparents in Dodge County and the family farm in Buffalo County. He quit high school in West Allis during World War II to join the Navy, where he served with the fleet and amphibious forces in the South Pacific. Following his discharge in 1946, he attended the Univerity of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied biology, journalism and natural resources. He also worked for a time as a reporter and feature writer for the Winona (Minn.) Republican-Herald. In 1949, he married Lorraine Senn of Cochrane. Following his graduation from the university in 1951, Don worked briefly for the Clark County Press in Neillsville before joining the staff of the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, where he worked for the next 11 years. He began an outdoors page and column while a general assignment reporter and state editor at Eau Claire. During that time, he also was elected to two terms on the school board for the Black/McKinley district. Don became chief of the Leader-Telegram's Menomonie news bureau in 1958. In addition to being a member of the Menomonie Police and Fire Commission, he was active in the Dunn County Fish & Game Association. He was named the Menomonie Jaycees "Young Man of the Year." In 1962, he became the outdoors writer for The Milwaukee Sentinel. His writing garnered him numerous awards, among them the Gordon MacQuarrie Award "For Telling the Conservation Story" and the Conservation Communicator Award from the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. He was also cited by many other professional and conservation organizations, such as the Ruffed Grouse Society, Great Lakes Sport Fishermen, Wisconsin Newspaper Association, United Press International, and the Associated Press. In 1974, he was honored by the Audubon Society. The Arkansas Wildlife Federation presented him its Golden Mallard Award and he was also recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for outstanding coverage of environmental issues. Don was credited with exposing the presence of DDT and other pesticides and pollutants in fish and game in the 1960s, leading to the nation's first pesticide bans. Active in community and company affairs, he served as a member of the board of directors of The Journal Company and was chairman of the company's Unitholders Council. In 1982, the Sentinel staff voted him its prestigious "Excellence in Journalism" award. Following his retirement in the 1990s, he served on the Board of Governors of the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame and was director emeritus of the Izaak Walton League's Perkins Wildlife Demonstration Area in Waukesha County. Don left the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 1984 and returned to Menomonie to become a freelance writer/photographer. In addition to a wide range of magazines and other publications, his work appeared in several books, including "Harvest Moon" (Lost River Press, 1993); "Deer & Deer Hunting" (Krause Publications, 1993); "That Reminds Me of the One" (Willow Creek Press, 1995); and "Wisconsin Seasons" (The Cabin Bookshelf, 1998). He is the author of "Grouse & Woodcock, A Gunner's Guide" (Krause, 1995) and "Summer's Song and Other Essays" (Hackmatack Hollow Press). Published in November 2005, it is a collection of essays on nature and wildlife from throughout his career. Recognition followed Don into retirement in the 1990s and beyond. The Wisconsin Outdoor Communicators Association named him an honorary life member and the Outdoor Writers Association of America named him its "Most Valuable Board Member." In 1992, he was inducted into the Milwaukee Sports Show Hall of Fame. In 2000, he was named to the Century Honor Roll as one of 20 individuals selected by the Wisconsin Outdoor Journal as having the greatest influence on hunting and fishing in the state during the 20th century. Don received a special award from the Dunn County Fish & Game Association and in 2005 was named to the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, honored by the Outdoor Writers Association of America "for excellence in outdoor communication," and cited by the Wisconsin Board of Natural Resources for his contributions to conservation. Don is survived by Lorraine, his wife of 56 years; a son Douglas (Carolyn) Johnson of Maryland; a daughter Lynn (Curt) Carlson of Manitowoc; four grandchildren, Clare, Paul, Miriam and Thomas, and one great-grandchild, Mark Anthony, all of Maryland; two sisters, Joyce (Hilman) Swenson of Floral City, Fla. and Darlene (Harry) Zache of Hartland; numerous nephews and nieces; and a host of friends. A memorial service will be held at the Olson Funeral Home, 615 Wilson Ave. in Menomonie, on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2006, at 1 p.m., with the Reverend J. David Whelan of Peace Lutheran Church officiating. Cremation will have taken place. Interment will occur at the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Spooner at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to the Dunn County Humane Society, 302 Brickyard Road, Menomonie, WI, 54751. To express condolences online, please visit obituaries at www.olsonfh.net.