Edith Johnson
Edith Johnson
“To live solely for oneself is to rob life of its better meaning and finally to effect the disintegration of personality.”
Biography
Edith Cherry Johnson was born in Ohio in 1879 and was a reporter and columnist for The Oklahoman for over 50 years. She was honored as Oklahoma City’s Woman of the Year in 1948 and was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 1997. She won considerable acclaim for her column, which ran on the editorial page of The Oklahoman for 44 years. Over the years, she interviewed such notable figures as President Theodore Roosevelt and was the author of several books, all while serving an active role in the civic life of the community. She was also chosen by the Oklahoma City Business and Professional Women’s Club as Oklahoma City’s Woman of the Year in 1949.
Fun fact
When publisher E. K. Gaylord heard about the operating philosophy of Goodwill Industries, he asked his secretary, Edith Johnson, to visit several operating sites around the country. She traveled to Missouri and Ohio before returning to Oklahoma to recommend the organization of Oklahoma Goodwill Industries, Inc. in 1936.
Oklahoma connections
Johnson joined The Oklahoman in December of 1908.