In 1976 Leroy and Mary Ellen took Lois Eubanks, Mary Ellen’s mother, to the ACB National Convention in Hot Springs, Arkansas. That trip was the beginning of nearly four decades of service on the local, state, and national levels of ACB.
They helped found the Northwest Chapter of the Arkansas Council of the Blind. Leroy and Mary Ellen are a team as well as a married couple. More people on the National Level would recognize Leroy in his cowboy hat with pins for each ACB National Convention he attended than they would Mary Ellen. Here in Arkansas we know that if one of them commits to a project or an organization they will both work tirelessly for that cause. If they see a need for service, they have the common sense and attention to detail to solve the problem at hand.
They have held the office of Arkansas Council of the Blind Treasurer and served on many committees through the years including: convention program and arrangement, scholarship, awards, and financial committees. Mary Ellen edits the Arkansas Council of the Blind Newsletter and together they produce and distribute it in several formats. They also filled any need they saw from transportation to meetings to helping the newly blind in the community to find much needed services.
While Leroy served on the ACB National Convention Committee, Mary Ellen started the Orphan Train Heritage Society of America, a national organization which collected and recorded information on America’s Orphan Train Riders.
The Arkansas Council of the Blind voted this year to honor Leroy and Mary Ellen Johnson with this Hero Page. It’s not enough to thank them for nearly 40 years of service, but it gives us a chance to share our love for them with the rest of our American Council of the Blind Family.
We just want to say, “Thank you, to a wonderful couple, Leroy and Mary Ellen Johnson!”
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ACB Angel Memorial Tribute - Leroy Johnson
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