Dick wrote and presented the following poem about his interest in archaeology at the 1975 annual meeting of the ASM: (1976) Richard R. Johnson, ASM Newsletter, News Series, Volume II, No. 1.

The Archeologist

I walk the fields, I search the streams

To seek the Ancient’s hopes and dreams.

An odd shaped stone: a telltale clue,

Bits of charcoal, I pursue.

He left no sign, no written word,

The voice is gone the woodland heard,

This Ancient One who left behind,

These meager clues for me to find.

But never shall I see his face,

I’ll never know his noble race.

But still I seek to find his way,

While seeking mine from day to day.

Not knowing what fate to him befell,

The mists of time hide all too well.

But meaning from this life unknown

May add meaning to my own. 

Remembering Richard Riley Johnson

Richard “Dick” Johnson, past President of the Archeological Society of Maryland (1986 to 1990), became interested in archeology in 1935 when he found a stone axe while going fishing with his Grandfather. His Grandfather made him keep fishing, but he returned the next day to the site and found four arrow points. He also reckoned he was one sixteenth Cherokee.  His Grandfather’s Grandfather married a Cherokee refuge passing through southern Illinois in 1837 on the Trail of Tears. During the Great Depression, his family survived in the Midwest as tenant farmers, allowing Dick the opportunity to expand his collection of Midwestern artifacts.  After graduating from high school, he hitchhiked 800 miles to a job in Norfolk, Virginia, his first introduction to Chesapeake country.

Upon receiving his draft notice in 1942, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps.  A lifelong reader, he passed his entrance test to be an Aviation Cadet and received his basic training in various stateside locations. He flew to England in 1944 to participate in Bomb Group 303 combat missions preparing for the D-Day Invasion.  His 32 bombing missions included two during D-Day.  He told me that the sight of all the allied vessels in the English Channel made him realize the true magnitude of the battle. His immediate focus was on flying the course to drop bombs on roads leading up to the beaches.  He received the Distinguished Flying Cross for piloting 32 B-17 missions in combat. Upon his return to the states, he trained new pilots entering the war.

He retired from active duty in 1946 and moved to Deale, Maryland because of his love of the beauty of the Chesapeake Bay. There he met Marjorie Moreland who became his wife in 1954 and a lifelong companion in his passion for archeology. Dick continued to fly for the Maryland Civil Aviation Patrol. He owned a business as a painter, having a contract with Historic Annapolis Foundation to paint the interiors and exteriors of historic buildings.  I met Dick Johnson in the 1960’s when he attended the Anne Arundel County Archeological Society. In 1975 Dick agreed to take over as President of the Arundel County Archeological Society (1975-1986).  In that capacity, he also served on the Board of Trustees of the Archeological Society of Maryland. As Chapter President, he successfully lobbied the Anne Arundel County Council, opposing development of the Jug Bay properties and advocating for the creation of an archeological and environmental preserve. His actions preserved the Dobson and the Dorr sites, which today are viewed as part of the Pig Point Archeological Complex.  In 1984 he successfully worked with me and Thomas Mayr to convince Anne Arundel County to purchase the Beck site from a gravel quarry operator.  The Beck sites is an extension of the Ruf site,  the type site for the Selby Bay phase.

In 1986, Dick received the Marjorie Murray Bridgeman Award of the Anne Arundel County Trust for Preservation, given in recognition of his leadership and dedication in the field of archeological preservation in Anne Arundel County.  This was the same year that he accepted the Presidency of the Archeological Society of Maryland (1986-1990).  Dick played a critical leadership role in setting up a meeting with Council Chairwoman, Virginia Claggett, at which we proposed the establishment of an Anne Arundel County archaeologists position.  The position was created in 1987, and Al Luckenbach was hired in 1988 to develop a model county program.  He donated his collection from the Zang, Rose Haven and other important Anne Arundel County sites to the Anne Arundel County program in 2004.   He worked with me to secure the transfer of the West River Adena Collection from the Academy of Natural Sciences to the Archeological Society of Maryland. He served for four years as a Trustee of the London Town Public House.  An active member of the 303 Bomb Group, he became National President of that Group in 2001.

Richard Johnson’s knowledge about archeology and Native American cultures was shared with countless school groups, civic organizations and archeological chapters.  His life story is available in his 1995-2004 autobiography “Twenty Five Milk Runs (And a few others).”  Marjorie was a partner with Dick in his many field efforts, lectures and book tour which he continued up to the week before his passing.   We have lost a close friend, national hero and successful advocate for Maryland archeology. I appreciate the loving support of his family which allowed Richard Johnson to share his many talents with us the past seventy years.     

Remembrances Written by Wayne E. Clark