A graduate of Waxahachie High School, Dr. Johnston entered the Army Air Corps on his seventeenth birthday and was stationed in Germany, where he received the Soldier’s Medal for Valor. It was there he met and married Kitty Murphy, and Irish member of the American Red Cross.
After Baylor University and Southwestern Medical School, he entered private practice in internal medicine at Dallas’ Samuel Clinic. Elected president of the Catholic Physician’s Guild, Dr. Johnston served as an advisor and member of countless boards for St. Paul Hospital, the University of Dallas, Cistercian Preparatory School, the Dallas Sheriff’s Department and the Dallas City Council.
In 1962, he took the reins as the team physician for the Jesuit Rangers, serving for 18 years before stepping down in 1980. He worked with some of the greatest athletes in Jesuit’s history, including his neighbor and fellow inductee, Michael Lucido. Through the years he treated many athletes and their families, the young players and their parents often becoming his patients for life. In the 1970s he served on the Texas Board of Athletic Trainers.
Dr. Johnston treasured his many friendships that often began on the field at Haggar Stadium. In addition, he fondly recalls the excellent supporting cast of trainers, coaches, concerned parents, and fellow physicians throughout his time at Jesuit. One person certainly stands out above all the rest for his unselfish dedication and loyalty, his friend Wayne Sawyer, a man of vast professional stature in physical therapy, who not only assisted injured players but also mentored student trainers.
