Charles Johnson was the spirit of The Tidings.
For nearly four decades he covered Catholic high school and college sports and was read by several generations of coaches, athletes and sports fans.
He joined the Tidings staff shortly after graduating from Loyola University. Msgr. Thomas J. McCarthy, editor of The Tidings, set out to modernize the paper. A sports section was part of his plan. He gave Chuck the task of founding this part of the paper. Chuck established contact with athletic coaches in high schools of the Archdiocese and began personally to cover sports events, especially Friday night football games.
He also covered college football. He wrote about Coach Slip Madigan and the Galloping Gaels of St. Mary's College of Moraga and his colorful players like Presto Podesto of Modesto, "Squirming" Herman Wedemeyer and Gonzales Morales of Nogales. He loved to recount being along on the Gaels' 1945 trip to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
Chuck's greatest love, however, was unabashedly for Notre Dame. Notre Dame players and coaches populated his weekly Sports Front column. The annual Notre Dame-USC game was the high point of his sports year.
Readers would say his column of Catholic sports coverage was what compelled them to subscribe to The Tidings over the years. He faithfully covered the schools in person and on the ground. On one occasion one of his sons playing for Loyola High School came crashing off of the field into his dad taking pictures on the sidelines. This happened again at Santa Clara University when another son crashed into his dad taking pictures on the sidelines.
In 1960 Chuck covered the Rome Olympics and also visited Pope John XXIII.
Throughout his career Chuck was spirited in his enthusiasm for The Tidings. In the early years he was a first stringer at the circulation rallies The Tidings conducted at many high schools. Chuck possessed a strong spirituality and a steady piety. He loved to do human interest stories that portrayed moral character and integrity. Among his memorable stories was a profile of the Catholic pilot of the 747 that long ago carried the Space Shuttle back to Florida from Edwards Air Force Base.
Over the years Chuck was a man of steady piety and integrity. He epitomized the Catholic journalist. Al Antczak is the retired editor of The Tidings and former Loyola University classmate of Chuck Johnson. |