"Johnsie Shelton Appreciation Day." Davidson College Bulletin, August 1959. · College Archives: Women of Davidson

Title: "Johnsie Shelton Appreciation Day." Davidson College Bulletin, August 1959.
Description: This article describes a celebration held by the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity chapter at Davidson College in honor of house mother Johnsie Shelton.
Creator: Davidson College Bulletin.
Date: August 1959.
Text: "I still keep up with my boys," says mother to generations of Davidson students, Johnsie Shelton, who has been a guardian angel to Davidson College boys all her life.
"I've been here almost as long as Enoch," laughs Miss Johnsie as she recalls that the first college president she remembers was Dr. Henry Louis Smith.
Growing up in the town of Davidson—where her family has lived for generations—she has witness (and helped make on some occasions) over half a century of college history.
Born on School Street in the family house across from what is now the Davidson Elementary School, Miss Johnsie, her two sisters and three brothers learned from their parents the virtues of Christian love, and the true meaning of charity.
"Raised in a family devoted to the living ideal of community service, as a child she grew accustomed to the sound of the doorbell ringing in the night, and her mother's response to every summons for help. Miss Shleton watched her mother's love flow out to the unfortunate, the sick and the needy, and as her mother walked before her, so walked Johnsie Shleton."
For three years straight (1953-54-55) Ramah Home Demonstration clubs tapped Miss Shleton "Woman of the Year."
Awards and honors are not few in the life of Miss Johnsie. But always, there exists that attitude of real humility. In 1949, a letter from Davidson President John R. Cunningham told her that she was to be recipient of the coveted Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award in recognition of her "unusual service and devotion to the cause of humanity."
"I thought they'd a mistake when I got Dr. Cunningham's letter. It was such a surprise," she smiled shyly.
"After they finished talking about me, I felt I had wings—but when I got up I found they were just shoulder pads."
Such is the unassuming, quiet, yet confident manner of Miss Johnsie Shelton.
For the last 10 years, Miss Johnsie has been housemother and dietician in the Pi Kappa Phi social fraternity.
Publisher: Davidson College Bulletin.
Language: English.
Source: Davidson College.
Subject: Housemother Appreciation.

Item sets: Dining Staff

Site pages: Dining Staff

Media: Johnsie Shelton Appreciation Day, 1959.; Johnsie Shelton Appreciation Day, 1959. (Page 2)