About Chuck Johnston
Born in 1940, Chuck Johnston grew up in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood, attending Atlanta Public Schools that were segregated at the time both for elementary and high school. He followed his two older brothers by going off to Vanderbilt for college.
While in college he knew he wanted to teach English and coach (primarily track, which had been his sport in college). Upon graduation (1962), Chuck taught 10th grade English to all-boys classes at The McCallie School. McCallie was followed by a year in France studying and travelling, a year back at Vanderbilt for a Master’s degree, and then to an education of teaching and administering at numerous school, in this order: Westminster (Atlanta), Brookstone (Columbus, GA), Berry Academy (Rome, GA), Trinity School (Atlanta), and Robert Louis Stevenson School (Pebble Beach, CA). With the interval of being the executive director of the Atlanta Ballet and president of the Children’s Education Foundation, he concluded his career in education with Whitefield Academy (Atlanta), and the Atlanta Youth Academy. While at Berry Academy, he did achieve a second masters in the inaugural class of Emory’s Executive MBA program, 1980.
Now in his early 80’s, Chuck lives with his artist wife JoElyn in the Atlanta urban neighborhood of Grove Park. As of the beginning of 2016 he retired as president of Grove Park Renewal LLC, an effort to support the strong sense of community already existing in the Grove Park Neighborhood (est. 1920) off of Hollowell Parkway (aka Bankhead). While still involved in neighborhood matters, he now spends as much time as possible writing.
Shaped by significant relationships and experiences, Chuck’s life has been anything but dull. His writing is no different, but a timeline can be. While the memoir draws you in so fully that both tears and laughter are evoked in its pages, this timeline is provided like a resume. Sitting down with the actual person is far better, just like you are invited to do with Chuck in the pages of his writing.
Timeline of the life of Chuck Johnston (so far):
Grew up in the 1940’s and 1950’s in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighbor near the corner of Piedmont and Peachtree Roads
North Fulton High School (class of ‘58): Treasurer of School, junior year; President of School, senior year. Varsity football 3 years. Varsity track 4 years, won Georgia State title in 440 in senior year
Vanderbilt: BA, 1962. Varsity track 4 years; ran half mile with Lamar Alexander, future Tennessee Governor and Senator, and ran mile relay with brother Dillon; Co-captain of track team senior year
1962-64: Taught English and coached at McCallie School, Chattanooga
1964-66; Studied at U. Grenoble, France, and worked toward MA in Teaching from Vanderbilt, obtained in 1967
1966-69: Taught English and coached varsity track and cross-country at Westminster Schools –team won State Championship in 1968
1969-74: Assistant Headmaster, Brookstone School, Columbus, GA. Helped build new school to enrollment of 700 students.
1971: Married JoElyn Jones – teacher, artist, athlete – when she was 25 and he was 30
1974: Daughter Jane born
1974-80: Headmaster, Berry Academy, Rome, GA. Hired star-quality faculty. Established Board of Advisors, Obtained Executive MBA from Emory, 1980
1980-88: Headmaster, Trinity School, Atlanta. Moved school to new building, raised $5.2 million in capital campaign, increased enrollment from 300 to 500 students
1983: Daughter Evelyn Anne born
1988-90: R. L. Stevenson Schools, Carmel, CA--Recruited to develop new lower & middle schools with innovative curriculum & extended school year
1990-93: Executive Director, Atlanta Ballet. Worked organization out of $900,000 debt into fiscal health while maintaining full artistic program
1994-96: President, Children’s Education Foundation, Atlanta. Distributed $1M in scholarships to children from low-income neighborhoods seeking education in a private or parochial school
1996-00: Founding Headmaster, Whitefield Academy. Led development of curriculum, hired faculty, and helped raise $16M to purchase 57-acre farm and construct buildings for the school’s campus
2001-2012: Executive Director, Atlanta Youth Academy, a school with high academic standards focused on leadership education for children from inner-city neighborhoods. Parents must pay at least $10 per month tuition, but Executive Director and Foundation Board was responsible for raising $1.5-2M each year to meet salaries and operating costs. In addition together they raised $4.2M to purchase land in southeast Atlanta and modular buildings for a permanent campus. This fundraising allowed enrollment to grow from 60 students in grades K-5 in 2001 to 170 students in grades K-8.
2013: Together with his former-student Sam Dimon, created Grove Park Renewal to soften the impact of gentrification on longtime neighbors.
2018: Adult adoption of daughter LaTonya Gates
Additional activities: Original member of Atlanta Track Club. Has run in 10 marathons [Atlanta (6), NYC, Dublin, Big Sur, Sacramento], 20 Atlanta half marathons, and in the Peachtree Road Race more than 40 of its 51 runnings.
Leadership positions in various independent-school professional organizations; Vestry, St. Philip’s Cathedral. Elder, Atlanta Westside Presbyterian ChurchBorn in 1940, Chuck Johnston grew up in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood, attending Atlanta Public Schools that were segregated at the time both for elementary and high school. He followed his two older brothers by going off to Vanderbilt for college.
