Grants

Grant T. Johnson’s influence is evident in the establishment of key community institutions. He played a pivotal role in the creation of Noble Woods Park, the Hillsboro Boys and Girls Club, and the Glenn and Viola Walters Cultural Arts Center. His early and vital support for the Hillsboro Actors Regional Theatre (HART) is also noteworthy. His work led to the eventual establishment of The Venetian, further cementing his legacy in the Hillsboro community.

In 1996, The Hillsboro Argus announced that Grant would be the Grand Marshal of Rotary’s annual Fourth of July Parade by stating, “Grand Marshal Grant Johnson has raised more money for local causes than many parade goers will earn. Because of him, the Boys & Girls Club has a remodeled building, and Hillsboro has a 40-acre nature preserve in Noble Woods.” Grant was one of the longest-standing members of The Greater Hillsboro Area Chamber of Commerce. He chaired the Chamber’s long-range planning committee for over 30 years and served as the organization’s president in 1974. In these positions, he made a personal commitment to promote quality of life in the city. His efforts included inviting the Regional Urban Design Assistance Team (R/UDAT) to survey the town and make recommendations for maintaining the community’s vitality. Out of this work came a long-range plan for Hillsboro, which became a blueprint for government and citizen cooperation and was a forerunner to the city’s current 2020 Visioning Plan.

Through his involvement with R/UDAT, Grant saw the need to expand arts and culture to sustain and enhance the quality of life in Hillsboro. For years, he continued his strong advocacy to promote arts and culture in the city he loved.

As Grant’s energy waned, he found satisfaction in witnessing others take up the mantle and continue the momentum. His belief in the power of community involvement was unwavering, and he took greater pleasure in what citizens could achieve together than in any personal accomplishment or recognition. The Argus captured this sentiment in 1995, stating, “A Hillsboro resident and former chamber president, Johnson believes that if the people of a community believe in the project strongly enough and will get solidly behind it, anything can be accomplished. And for the past 50 years in Hillsboro, Grant Johnson has turned that belief into action for the community.” Pat Ribellia, a city planner with the Citizen Involvement Advisory Committee, echoed this sentiment, calling Grant “the ultimate spokesperson and advocate for improving the city’s quality of life and assuring citizen involvement in city affairs.”

Grant was also active at Hillsboro First Baptist Church, where he was a member for more than 60 years. Through the years, among other activities, he taught Sunday School, sang in the choir and in music groups (he loved to sing), served on the board, spearheaded the effort to raise funds for a new furnace, and initiated digging out a new basement for the old church by hand (he loved to dig). Later, he served on the board of trustees for Western Conservative Baptist Seminary.

Through the years, Grant received many awards for his service, among them the Robert R. Herb Award for Leadership and Vision, the Hillsboro Jaycee’s Distinguished Citizen Award, the Chamber’s Emma C. McKinney Distinguished Citizen Award, the Chamber Chairman’s Award, and Senior Man of the Year. To honor him on his 90th birthday, Hillsboro Mayor Jerry Willey issued a proclamation naming Feb. 6, 2010, Grant Johnson Day.