This fellowship was established in honor of Charles Harmony Johnson (I and II), and is intended to support members of the MIT community in promoting education in the sciences.
Charles Johnson, Sr. grew up in New Castle, Pennsylvania, the son of an entrepreneurial father who developed significant businesses in limestone mining and iron/ steel manufacturing. Charles Sr. graduated from MIT in 1892, and worked in the mining industry in Minnesota before joining his father to expand the family business interests. Ultimately he developed and ran three different limestone companies, a bronze manufacturer, a sand/loam operation, and a local bank in New Castle.
Charles Johnson, Jr. was born in New Castle in 1904. He graduated from Haverford College, and received a Master of Science Degree from MIT in 1927. His master’s thesis “Factors Controlling the Lead Distribution in Copper-Lead Alloys Used for Bearing Purposes” remains on file in the MIT archives. Following graduation, he entered the construction and banking industries, returning to New Castle in 1931. There, he became President of Lawrence Savings and Trust Company.
Both men shared, and passed on to their immediate and extended families, a powerful belief in the importance of rigorous and continued education. It is this value that the descendants of these men wish to commemorate through the establishment of this Fellowship. As part of this program, Fellows will be encouraged to provide a summary of their activity in this program that will be shared with supporting members of the Johnson family.