A special tribute to Walter Johnson Jr.
Walter H. Johnson
Jr., a world respected air cargo industry pioneer and one of TIACA's founders, passed away on Tuesday October 16th 2001.An active supporter of TIACA and an authoritative speaker, writer and researcher, he used his expertise and knowledge to help promote and progress the worldwide air cargo industry. At the time of his death, he was
Chairman of TIACA's Education Committee and one of the Association's most prolific advisors and planners.
Larry Coyne, President of TIACA states, "Walter Johnson was an exceptional and multi-talented person. His inspiration, hard work, devotion and support helped to take TIACA from just an idea to being the worldwide representative body of all parts of the air cargo business. His
ability to analyse and tackle difficult issues and formulate intelligent, positive policies was a feature of his work with TIACA. He was a
past-president of TIACA who kept on contributing up to the very end. Above all, Walter was a gentleman who only saw the good in people. I relied heavily on Walter for advice and inspiration and I, amongst many others, will miss him very much."
Walter Johnson spent nearly 30 years serving on TIACA'S Air Cargo Forum (ACF) committee and later as a member of TIACA's Executive Council and Board of Directors.
Ram Menen, Past President TIACA and a close friend of Walter states, "The industry has lost
a great stalwart, a great human being! Walt was a legend in his own
time. I have always valued and cherished his friendship. During my tenure as President of TIACA and I am sure every other past president will agree, Walt was the pillar that we all leaned on very heavily. He always made the difference with his wealth of knowledge. He was
air cargo industry's own walking encyclopedia. His dedication to the air cargo industry was total and unparalleled. I always lovingly called him ''grandpa'' -- truly he was airfreight industry's ''wise man and a grandmaster''. God bless his Soul! I will always remember him as a preacher who practiced and preached ''air logistics'' to the last day of his life. He was the ultimate educator! We have all lost a great Past President!"
Walter was always respected as a negotiator and bridge-builder who established unprecedented co-operation among the various sectors of the air cargo industry.
Ali Al Jallaf, Vice- Chairman, TIACA (MI& A chapter) states, "Walter
was a big asset for TIACA and he contributed a lot with his knowledge
and experience. His demise is a big loss to not just TIACA but the entire
industry. I had known him for over 10 years now, and my own experience
has been a very close one with him. Walter gained the respect of many
members in the way he brought out issues and made people understand their
consequences and always worked towards solutions. Walter was rightly the
'steering man' of Air Cargo Update.'
In 1995, Walter was the recipient of Air Cargo World's prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award and in 1999 at TIACA's Annual General Meeting; he became one of only a handful of industry leaders to be
inducted to TIACA's Air Cargo Hall of Fame.
Dinesh Kumar, General Manager (Cargo)-Hqrs, Airports Authority of India holds TIACA's Roll of Honour 2000. On the untimely demise of Walter he states, "It was shocking to note that Rev. Walter Johnson is no more. I have his hand written note congratulating me on being elected to TIACA's Roll of Honour. It is a personal loss as it is a loss to the industry. We in the industry should emulate his dedication and take the industry further from where he left it."
Walter was always heavily involved in education. In the last year, he was instrumental in developing TIACA's educational foundation- The Center for Air Commerce Studies.
Walter had a long and broad career in tourism, transportation, marketing, and communications. He joined American Airlines after graduation. Quickly moving up through the sales and marketing departments he rose to the position of Vice President of Sales, Eastern Region, and finally to Vice President of Sales worldwide.
He initiated the first air cargo pick-up and delivery service in the US. In 1958, he joined Capital Airlines as an Executive Vice President and board member and was active in negotiating the merger between Capital and United Airlines.
From 1978 to his death, he worked as a consultant, serving TIACA and a variety of clients. He was also Director of the Travel Industry Association of Nova Scotia, focusing on marketing, planning and management roles.
