Wendell B. Johnson's inspirational story

I am amazed that I was completely unaware of Wendell B. Johnson's life story upon learning about it this morning. What got my attention upon bumping into the website dedicated to his life, was firstly, that we are connected in several ways, and secondly, that his story is so inspirational. Wendell was a quadriplegic most of his life as a result of diving in a canal as a teenager without realizing that there was a ledge only a foot or so under the surface of the water. First, the connections. Wendell and I were born only two months apart, and started our lives in the same town, Mapleton, Utah. While not closely related, we do share a common great-great-grandfather, Edwin Whiting, making us 3rd cousins. Wendell's accident occurred in 1964 when he was only 16 years old. I had a severe diving accident that could have profoundly changed my life shortly after returning from my mission. I did a backwards dive off a diving board in Roosevelt, Utah and my neck caught the end of the board, rendering me unconscious in the water. The force of the dive busted off the wings of two vertebrae in my neck. I was told I was very lucky not to have been paralyzed. My neck was immobilized for several weeks afterward until the old wings dissolved, and new ones grew in. My mother told me of a diving accident in Mapleton that left someone paralyzed. Wendell has to be the very person she was thinking of.

Wendell Johnson took his tragedy and turned it into a positive. He was not only an artist (see gallery) but a great example and an active member of the community. He served as Justice of the Peace for six years, and later as Mapleton's mayor from 1982 - 1986, he also co-authored two books, married, fathered a child against great odds, raised his daughter, and designed the blueprints for his own home, all despite his difficult circumstances. His great lesson in life was one of patience and endurance despite challenges. He believed wholeheartedly in setting and meeting goals, and in the power we all have to achieve wonderful, positive things in our lives. He died in 1986, living considerably longer than the medical experts had predicted.

I have carried a book about Mapleton for many years that my parents gave me, and only now realize that one of its co-authors was this man. I dug the book out, re-read it, and by so doing, learned a little bit more about my roots. Both my father and grandfather were town presidents of Mapleton, and my father was the town's first mayor, according to the book. I recommend reading Wendell's biography, one of which is written by his daughter. The painting above is of Buckeley Mountain in south Provo. We lived directly under this mountain for several years after returning from Hawaii, and before coming to Louisiana.