Black History Month: Tom Johnson reflects on his nearly 40-year career at Beacon

Over his 39 years at Elkhart General Hospital, Project Coordinator Tom Johnson has witnessed plenty of history.

Tom Johnson, Project Coordinator, Beacon Health System.

For example, when he hired on as a painter/plasterer in 1983 at age 33, Arcade Avenue ran through the hospital site uninterrupted, houses surrounded the building’s perimeter, and the main entrance faced East Boulevard and the river.

“The hospital has grown considerably,” said Johnson, 71. “It’s now a campus.”

When recently asked to describe his job, Johnson pointed to the blueprints that cover a wall of his office and he detailed plans to renovate the sixth floor’s rooms so that they can become negative air pressure rooms to safely care for patients with airborne diseases.

He likes the variety of work that his job entails.

“There is always something happening with construction,” he said. “Technology in health care continually changes. You’re continuously updating.”

Beyond the hospital’s walls, Johnson also has seen much change, and he knows that many societal innovations and improvements have been led by African Americans. It’s important during Black History Month to recognize and celebrate that fact, he said.

“As African Americans, I don’t think we’re always recognized for the level of our intelligence,” Johnson said. “It’s a battle to get recognized and get respected. I think it needs to be out there, what is going on and what African Americans do to accomplish things.”

Johnson figures he is one of Beacon Health System’s oldest full-time African American associates.

“That’s hard to take, but OK,” he said with a chuckle.

Johnson plans to retire in December. He intends to make more progress renovating a winter home that he and his wife Loretta bought in Florida four years ago, and he will stay busy maintaining the swimming pool at his Elkhart home, a favorite place for his grandchildren.

At Beacon, Johnson said he is encouraged to see some younger African American associates taking an interest in organizing and celebrating future Black History Month events after he retires in December.

“Black History Month brings to the forefront a lot of what’s going on,” he said. “Get the history books and read up on it, and you’ll find there’s a lot that African Americans have done that really they didn’t get the credit for.”