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William Johnson
“The study of historic structures has remarkable potential not only to deepen our knowledge of the past but also to open new perspectives on today’s society.”
- Program: 2008 Graduate Scholarship Recipient
- Hometown: Montgomery, AL
- Four-year College or University: Sewanee: The University of the South
- Graduate School: University of Cambridge
Biography
PROFILE: William Henry (Hank) Johnson grew up on a farm in Alabama and is passionate about eighteenth-century British architecture. In retrospect, this makes sense. His early reading was all about the founding of the US. From an early obsession with eighteenth-century America and the buildings of that period, he was led back to their source—across the Atlantic. When Hank was a teenager, curiosity about architecture brought him into contact with a local preservation group. “I’ve been active in the field ever since, and preservation projects continue to prove gratifying. I feel I’m helping to create an environment in which tangible links with the past combat the air of rootlessness that plagues modern life.”
As the son of parents who work hard to keep a five-generation family farm in operation, he has also inherited a sense of the importance of history and preserving roots. For now, he is off to the UK to study at University of Cambridge, an ideal place to explore British architecture.
INSPIRATION: Hank is grateful for his extremely supportive parents. “They have constantly encouraged and helped me to pursue my frequently unconventional interests.” Their efforts on the farm have also inspired him to become an advocate for historic preservation and land conservation.
ASPIRATION: Hank plans to teach architectural history and promote historic preservation.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: The hours that Hank puts into volunteering during the summer attest to his passion for preservation: 40 hours a week with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and 35 hours with the Alabama Historical Commission.
ACCOLADES: A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Hank received Sewanee’s Award for Excellence in Art History last year. He was also awarded the Robert Woodham Daniel Prize, and in 2004 received the International Summer University scholarship to study at the Freie Universitat Berlin.
INTERESTING FACT: William plays the piano and organ, and is trained in English change ringing, the art of ringing church tower bells.
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Daniel Young
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