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King Johnson
Collection Given to College Library King R. Johnson was a salesman,a family man, and a historian, but first and foremost, he was a book collector. And now, students and professors at Millsaps are benefiting from a passion that led him to amass thousands of books, ranging in topics from ancient history to the sinking of the Titanic. Almost 4,000 volumes of his extensive personal collection were donated to the Millsaps-Wilson Library, resulting in a valuable new resource and a lasting legacy. Johnson was employed as a traveling salesman for most of his life, which allowed him to indulge his voracious reading habit. “He went all over the southeast as part of his job,” says Kyle Rogers of Lemuria Books, where Johnson was a regular customer. “He’d always stop in local bookstores to buy more books. Then, he’d read them in his hotel room that night.” Fred Smith of Choctaw Books was also used to seeing Johnson perusing the stacks. “I bought most of his collection about 13 years ago,” says Smith, “and over the past 13 years, he came into the store and slowly bought it back! I’ve heard stories about King moving out of an old apartment and finding books in his oven, in the bathroom and stacked under the bed! He was a bibliophile in the purest sense of the word.” Although a friend of the College, Johnson was not an alumnus. “He just wanted his books to go somewhere they would be well-used,” says Millsaps Director of Annual Giving Martha Boshers, who attended St. Phillip’s Episcopal Church with Johnson and helped arrange the donation. Johnson majored in history during college and had a particular affinity for the history of warfare. As a result, the collection is largely comprised of books on ancient history and military history. “For a while, he was very interested in the Battle of Vicksburg,” recalls his widow Hallie Johnson. “During the anniversary of the battle, he made trips out to Vicksburg every week to track Grant’s steps and figure out his military strategy.” The King R. Johnson, Jr. History Collection will be available for student use by the end of the fall semester, but professors are already using selected volumes to research and plan upcoming classes. Dr. William Storey, Assistant Professor of History, plans to incorporate the books into his curriculum. “While Mr. Johnson collected extensively, he also collected selectively,” says Storey. “He purchased many books that enhance our understanding of warfare, including first-hand accounts of wars and explorations of the impact war has on politics, society and culture. These books will make it easier for our students to research and write historical essays. We owe Mr. Johnson an enormous debt of gratitude for purchasing and then donating such an impressive collection.” Millsaps librarians, although faced with the daunting task of cataloging and shelving the collection, couldn’t be more pleased with the donation. “The value of the collection lies in its great depth,” says Tom Henderson, Associate Librarian for Public Services. “It will make a wonderful addition to the resources we offer our students, faculty, and staff.” This was Johnson’s exact intention. A New York native and a graduate of St. Bernerd’s College in Cullman, Alabama, King R. Johnson died of cancer in September 1999. But through his books, he lives on. PREVIOUS PAGE | PAGE 1 OF 1 | NEXT PAGE |
