SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
August 23, 2026
Sullivan’s Salvos 8/27/26
In this edition:
*RIP Rusty Martin
*Supervisor Time Studies
*Lulu Merle Johnson Dedication
*Who is Lulu Merle Johnson?
*Consequential - Lulu Merle Johnson
*Salvos Salutes – 2016
*Did You Know?
*RIP Rusty Martin
You may have seen the articles in the Register and Press Citizen. My friend Rusty Martin, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, flew to Switzerland to end his life. I have many great memories of Rusty. RIP, friend.
*Supervisor Time Studies
The Board discussed the issue of Supervisor pay/work that I brought up in last week’s Salvos. Unfortunately, there was a lot of defensiveness. One Supervisor even said I was “attacking” them by bringing it up, though I lumped all 5 Supervisors together.
I think it is very simple: show your work. Let the public know (specifically) how you are spending your time. Most public employees already do this. It is not that big an ask. I hope the public will continue to push on this after I am gone.
*Lulu Merle Johnson Dedication
Please join us for the dedication ceremony of the new Lulu Merle Johnson statue being unveiled at the Johnson County Administration Building, 913 S. Dubuque Street in Iowa City.
The doors open at 10 am, with a ceremony at 10:30. The area around the statue will henceforth be known as “Lulu Merle Johnson Plaza.”
Hope you can join us!
*Who is Lulu Merle Johnson?
Lulu Merle Johnson’s Iowa credentials are impeccable. She grew up outside the small town of Gravity in the southwestern part of the state, played 6-on-6 basketball in high school, and earned three degrees in history from the University of Iowa. Her family members include Hawkeye athletic legends Duke Slater and Richard “Bud” Culberson.
Lulu Merle Johnson earned her Ph.D. in history in 1941 from the University of Iowa. She was the first Black woman in the state to earn a doctorate, and was among the first Black women to earn one in the whole US. She was born on a Taylor County farm in 1907, but her parents had been born into slavery. She went on to become a world-renowned scholar and professor. Her work upset the dominant narrative of the time, which claimed that most slaves had been happy and well-treated by their owners. Johnson was also a civil rights pioneer and activist against segregationist policies. She passed away in 1995 at the age of 88.
Johnson spent many years as a teacher and administrator at Cheyney State University in Cheyney, Pennsylvania. Cheyney State is actually the very first of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), founded in 1837. Some Iowans no doubt first heard of Cheney State when the UI hired women’s basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer from there in 1983.
*Consequential - Lulu Merle Johnson
Before beginning this story, I need to make sure the word “eponym” is in your vocabulary. Eponym is the person for whom something is named. The opposite of “namesake,” which is the person named for someone. Got it?
So how did Johnson County, Iowa become just the second county in the country to change its eponym? I can answer that! (The other, by the way, is King County, Washington. Originally named for Alabama Senator Rufus King, it was changed in 1986 to honor MLK instead.)
In September of 2017 I finished an interesting book on the Election of 1840 – William Henry Harrison versus Martin Van Buren. Harrison and running mate John Tyler (“Tippecanoe and Tyler, too!”) defeated the incumbent Martin Van Buren and his Vice President, Richard Mentor Johnson (RMJ). This election is generally viewed as the first modern Presidential campaign, and gave us several common words and phrases: OK, hell-bent, keep the ball rolling, The Buckeye State, booze, and many more!
But it was the information about our former eponym that fascinated me. Johnson was born and raised in Kentucky, and became a hero of the War of 1812. Johnson repeatedly led troops into battle despite being shot 5 times himself!
Johnson is known as the “Man who killed Tecumseh.” Tecumseh was a Native American leader who organized many tribes together to fight the Americans and preserve a Native homeland. He was killed at the Battle of Thames in 1813, and this was the beginning of the end of meaningful Native claims on land in the US. It is said that Johnson personally killed Tecumseh, though historical records vary. Whatever the truth is, Johnson led the US Army in battles that killed thousands of Native people. As a matter of fact, Johnson claimed to have killed more Native Americans than any other human!
This history as a General made Johnson, known as “Old Dick”, very popular. That popularity began to wane, however, when it was discovered that Johnson had a long-term relationship with a slave named Julia Chinn. Chinn and Johnson had two daughters, and he considered her his wife, though they were not allowed to be married.
Johnson had a confusing relationship with his daughters/slaves. He insisted that his daughters were his property, but also paid for their education and left them inheritances. After Chinn died, Johnson took up with another slave. When she left him for another man, he had her sold away.
In addition to all that, Johnson was known for being incredibly unlikeable. People from all walks of life found him to be a rude, vulgar, foul man. This, coupled with Johnson’s flouting of the laws against racial mixing, made him a huge liability for the Democrats, and he was dropped from the ticket.
All pretty sordid, right? I agree. That is why I asked the question in the 9-12-17 edition of Salvos – Should we change Johnson County’s eponym?
This idea was widely panned. Literally thousands of people commented on the story KCRG ran about the idea. I got dozens of hateful emails. We got 1500 signatures on a petition opposing the idea. I remember then-Supervisor Janelle Rettig saying, “I like the idea, but you really stepped into it!”
There were also a lot of playful suggestions: Magic Johnson, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, etc. There were also serious calls to rename it after LBJ or Katherine Johnson, the NASA mathematician featured in the movie “Hidden Figures.”
I ran into a friend at the grocery store a few days later. Tim Walch of Iowa City served 23 years as the Director of the Herbert Hoover Library and Museum. Tim and I stood in the dairy section for half an hour while he told me even more about RMJ. Tim thought an eponym change was worth trying, and offered to speak to the Board.
I knew King County, WA had done this, so I asked County Attorney Janet Lyness to see if she could find anything regarding this matter in Iowa law. After a long search, she could not.
At about the same time, my friend David McCartney, then the UI Archivist, mentioned Lulu Merle Johnson. I must admit, I had never heard of her. He sent me some info, and I was intrigued.
So the Board held a meeting on the topic. Tim Walsh spoke. And the Board decided to create a committee and hold a contest to see what suggestions the community might come up with. I urged David to submit Lulu Merle.
The committee contained two Supervisors (Royceann Porter and Lisa Green Douglass), and they went into this process with a few guidelines:
1. There was no guarantee we would change anything.
2. The person had to be a “Johnson”; changing the actual name of the county was a nonstarter.
3. The person should have a connection to Johnson County, Iowa. (RMJ never even set foot in Iowa, let alone here.)
4. The person should be deceased.
There were some good suggestions, but the committee landed unanimously on Lulu Merle Johnson. Before we took the official vote, we hired local historian Rebecca Conard to do some research, including making contact with Johnson’s family. As it turned out, Johnson has family in Des Moines. And they were thrilled!
Finally, in September of 2020, the Board voted unanimously to become Lulu Merle Johnson County, Iowa! I am very proud of my role in this history!
*Salvos Salutes – 2016
What I wrote about some of the honorees from Salvos Salutes in 2016:
Joe Bolkcom: It is said you can judge a society by the way they treat their most vulnerable citizens. The decision to turn Iowa Medicaid over to private Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) will go down in history as one of the worst political decisions in Iowa history. While his battle is decidedly uphill, Senator Bolkcom has been a leading voice for the 1/6 Iowans who receives some type of Medicaid service.
Jim Throgmorton: There are many reasons to want to serve as Mayor. It can be a springboard to higher office. It can fulfill a need for attention. It can promote personal business interests. It can serve as the capstone to a career in public service.
Or, you could be Jim Throgmorton. The Mayor of Iowa City genuinely cares about the lives of the individual people who live in this city. Jim does not show up places looking for kudos; he shows up because he CARES. I am so proud that Jim is the Mayor of my town!
Geoff Fruin: I don’t know if I have ever seen anything quite like it. It seemed that EVERYONE wanted to see Geoff Fruin promoted from Assistant City Manager to City Manager! Liberals, conservatives, old, young, Chamber, Labor… it seems everyone wanted to hire Geoff. And I can see why! Geoff is a great guy and a team player who seems to really get things done. I think his future and the future of Iowa City are both bright!
Linda Fisher: Given the current state of the world/country/state, it can be easy to get discouraged. You need a source of positive energy. That is what I get from my Coralville friend Linda Fisher. A woman of a great many interests and talents, Linda’s true gift is her unrelenting positive energy. I always feel better after speaking to Linda!
Bill Waldie: Did you read what I just wrote? The same description also fits Bill Waldie. From the Johnson County Conservation Board to the Solon Library Board to the Comprehensive Plan Committee, Bill is a full-time volunteer. Every time we appoint him to another group, someone comes up to me and says, “Where did you find that guy? He’s great!” Truth is, we didn’t find Bill – he just showed up and began offering good advice!
Mike and Chris Weinard: I have been volunteering in local political campaigns since the late 1980s. In that whole time, I do not believe I have EVER seen anyone work as hard over a 4-year period as Mike and Chris Weinard! Show me someone who has knocked on more doors – you can’t do it! More importantly, they bring passion, intelligence, and senses of humor to the tasks at hand. I am glad they are on my side, and I’m proud to call them a Union Brother and Sister!
Kice Brown: Lone Tree has been lucky to have Carl “Kice” Brown as a resident these many years. In addition to his service on the City Council, Kice has done great work with senior dining, housing, and the local cable franchise. On top of that, Kice represents Lone Tree on all sorts of county Boards and Commissions, and has done so for some time. And Kice does it all with his signature smile!
Marcella Hurtado: You know the old saying that Grace Kelly did everything Fred Astaire did but backwards and in heels? That is exactly how I feel about Marcella Hurtado. Through her work with the Center for Worker Justice (CWJ), Marcella has won many battles for the immigrants and low-wage workers of our County. Marcella has been as effective as any activist in Johnson County. Yet she does it all in her second language, and with her children in tow! Enhorabuena, Marcella! Sigues impresionándome! Mantener el buen trabajo!
Andy Johnson: This one hurts my heart, as Andy is leaving Johnson County to join family in Omaha. If you have ever worked with Johnson County in any capacity, you know that Andy is the one that makes it all happen. I cannot even begin to describe all of his good qualities. Our Boards have not been the easiest groups for whom one could work. We are very flawed as individuals, and even more flawed as a group. But for the most part, things get done, and they get done because of Andy. His wisdom, kindness, thoughtfulness, patience, honesty, humility, and decency are beyond comparison. I wish I was half as good a person as Andy. I could exhaust my thesaurus looking for words to explain how I feel about Andy, but I think I’ll settle on one: Grace. I never deserved a person like Andy as a friend or coworker, but I got to enjoy him as both. Grace. Thank you, Andy. Thank you for everything. Grace.
As you can see, 2016 was a year full of people worthy of our admiration!
*DID YOU KNOW? Hills added a water treatment plant and public water utility in 2015. (I do not know what their nitrate count has been.) Growth has been huge since! Hills was around 700 people in 2015, and sits at about 950 now. (Source: US Census.)
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 10:57 AM
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