By LUELLA DOW
Contributor
We continue with Jim Johnson's story.
Back home in Medical Lake Johnson stepped right into the town's director of park and recreation position.
“The lake was eutrophic,” he said. “It was a mineral lake. Anyone who tried to swim in it tangled with blue-green algae bloom. Swimmers walked out with skin irritation and itchiness.”
He oversaw the treatment of the lake, using a pontoon boat with 55-gallon drums of alum and out riggers. The alum bonded with the phosphate and settled to the bottom.
“We had to make sure old drain and sewer pipes were turned off,” he said. “The grant required a five-year monitoring of the lake. We knew we eventually would have to pump air into the lake so that it would support fish. The Eastern Washington University biology department monitored the lake. On one such trip they found an unknown drain pipe that was still contaminating the lake.”
For the first Founder's Day in 1978, Johnson organized a 16-member team softball tournament. Teams from surrounding states came. Johnson and volunteers gathered together groups for tennis and horseshoes and other events. He worked with Rick Riley to layout the run for the 5K race around the lake. Timm Shepard, who filled the director's position, was a key part of the big day.
The women's groups from the various churches combined their talents and energies into a successful bake sale.
Owners of antique cars showed their prize vehicles in a parade. A dance was held in the evening.
“Each group had somebody in charge,” Johnson said.
“A Halloween run and Only Fools Run At Midnight are spinoffs from the first Founder's Day. It brought the people together,” he said. “The community had expectations for their new Recreation Department. They were ready for it.”
Johnson is now on the Governor's committee on the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs.
“I'm vice chairman to build the Eastern Washington Veterans State Cemetery on the North side of West Medical Lake on Espanola Road,” he said.
Johnson retired from the Navy as a master chief petty officer. He is a veteran of Vietnam, and Desert Storm.
“I enjoyed seeing other countries,” he said. “If you go with an attitude that you are a guest and show an interest to learn their culture, they open up and interact with you. Trust and respect has to be earned over there and it can be very rewarding.”
“We were the first amphibian ship to go into Kuwait, Desert Shield. We were on watch for almost month before we were relieved,“ he said. “I spent 10 years overseas. Forward deployed, you are closer to the hot spots and have to fill the void until help gets there. The training is ‘real world' and what you do has real meaning.”
Some days you really earn your money.
Among his many other interests, Johnson is presently a wetland scientist and cartographer at EWU. “I occasionally teach segments of classes and fill in for the professors. To me it's an opportunity to give a little back.”
Luella Dow is a local author and can be reached at [email protected]
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