WILLIAMSON – Two outstanding Mingo County citizens who are recipients of prestigious 2009 awards were honored recently at a program and reception sponsored by the Williamson Branch of NAACP and Youth Council.

Those singled out for special honors at a program and reception held at the Logan Street First Baptist Church were John W. Fullen, a former Matewan mayor and current president of the Williamson NAACP Branch, and Bernice D. Johnson, RNC nurse employed by the Mingo County Health Department and Board Certified in Community Health by the American Nurses Credentialing Program.

Johnson was the recipient of a “Civil Rights Day Award” last February at the 7th annual West Virginia Civil Rights Day luncheon held at West Virginia State University. Gov. Joe Manchin’s office was represented at that event by Mary Jo Thompson, director of constitutent services.

#A graduate of the host school when it was still West Virginia State College, Johnson has worked in the medical field while raising awareness about breast cancer and improving immunization rates in children and adults.

Fullen received the 2009 “Harmony and Peace Award” from Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College. He served as mayor of Matewan from April 1984 to June 1998, being the first and only African-American mayor of Matewan or any other municipality in Mingo County.

Fullen also is a former president of the Mingo County Board of Education, and also had a career as a teacher, administrator, board member, interim superintendent and assistant superintendent in the Mingo County school system until his retirement in 2000. He is currently Human Relations director for Universal Coal Company.

The Rev. Gerald Dotson was host pastor at the local event Sept. 13. Jada Hunter, principal of Burch High School, presided during the program and the Rev. G.C. Childress, past president of the Williamson NAACP branch, gave the invocation.

Miss Olivia Banks of the Youth Council provided the welcome and Mrs. Wanda Joplin, assistant secretary of the local branch, offered floral tributes.

Remarks were given by the Rev. Robert Settles, past vice president, Williamson branch; the Rev. Frank Jones, Second Mt. Zion Baptist Church, (past president of the Williamson branch who made a special presentation); the Rev. Gerald Dotson, Logan Street First Baptist Church, (past president of the Williamson branch, who offered closing remarks and benediction); Mrs. Joanne Tomblin, president of Southern West Virginia Commuinity and Technical College; Matewan Mayor Shelia Kessler and Williamson Mayor Darrin McCormick.

The two honorees offered comments near conclusion of the program and soloist was Mrs. Audrey C. Lee.

In recognizing the achievements and contributions of Fullen and Mrs. Johnson, the Williamson NAACP branch and Youth Council extended congratulations for their having received recognition for outstanding services to the community and expressed pride in their successes and well wishes for the future.

Bernice D. Johnson grew up in Daniels Chapel Township, Enfield, N.C., only daughter of three children born to James H. and Leanna D. Harvey. She was graduated as salutatorian from Eastman High School in Enfield and later graduated second in her class at Saint Agnes School of Nursing at Saint Augustine College, Raleigh, N.C. (operated by the Episcopal Church.)

After receiving her Registered Nursing license, she went to Boston Lying-In Hospital (now Women’s Hospital), in Boston, Mass., for advanced studies in Obstetrics Nursing. Continuing her education, she attended the Williamson branch of Marshall University (now SWVC&TC) and Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Ky. She received her B.A. degree from West Virginia State College/University in Institute.

She is the widow of Clarence C. Johnson and they have a daughter, Ann Elizabeth.

#In the years prior to joining the Mingo County Health Department nursing staff, Mrs. Johnson was employed as assistant head nurse in Obstetrics at Williamson Appalachian Regional Hospital; served as head nurse on the medical floor at Williamson Memorial Hospital, and was Medical Coordinator/Director for the Mingo County Head Start Program.

Among other honors, she received the Nursing Excellence Award from Williamson Memorial Hospital for her outstanding work.

She is an active member of the Logan Street First Baptist Church and president of its Missionary Society; a member of the Williamson Branch of NAACP which she served as co-chairman of the program committee and as secretary for two terms.

Among her civic activities, Mrs. Johnson is past president of the Huntington Chapter of Links Inc.; charter member of the Tug Valley Arts Council; member of the board of directors of Logan-Mingo Mental Health; charter member of the Tug Valley Recovery Shelter for women and children; past member of the Williamson Appalachian Regional Hospital board of directors; member of the Region II Planning and Development Council, Huntington; charter member of the Tug Valley Blood Bank, and a member of the Family Resource Network and West Virginia Public Health Association.

Johnson spearheaded the Breast Cancer “Wreath Hanging Ceremony” that began in Mingo County in 1995. She is fond of animals and belongs to the Humane Society of the United States, providing local support to the Save Our Strays (SOS) organization. She is committed to promoting good health and encouraging people to help improve the community.

Fullen’s resume notes his strong involvement with the NAACP as well as other aspects of life from an early age to the present day, and states that the slogan, “Yes, I Can,” which is associated with the United States’ first African-American president, Barack Obama, might also be applied to Fullen.

As a Little Leaguer, he excelled in baseball, football and basketball. Because of his outstanding basketball ability in his youth, coaches urged him to focus on those skills. As a result, he was a star basketball player for Matewan High School, earning numerous awards such as All-Area and Honorable Mention All-State.

#In 1965, he was drafted into the Armed Forces and after serving as a medic, his basketball talents were discovered by the Army with the result he was transferred to Japan to play Army basketball until his honorable discharge in 1968.

Fullen was offered several athletic scholarships and accepted the one offered by Pikeville College where he met his future wife, Loreka Sue Ratliff, in August 1968. They married on Sept. 5, 1977 and together blazed many educational and political trails until her death on Aug. 26, 2008. His wife was employed for many years by the Mingo County Board of Education in various capacities at its central offices.

He attended Pikeville College for one year and spent a year at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, going on to Marshall University, Huntington, where he received his B.Å. degree in Social Studies Comprehensive.

He developed a keen interest in community affairs, fostered by his grandparents, John and Mary Brown, and served as a member of the Matewan Town Council from 1979 to 1984. He was elected as mayor in April 1984 and served consecutive terms until June 1998 when he opted not to seek another term. He is the first and only African-American mayor of Matewan, or in Mingo County.

After retiring from his educational career, Fullen served as Human Resource director for Williamson Memorial Hospital, 2000-2002, and then accepted a position as Human Relations director for Universal Coal Company where he continues to be employed.

He has served on several state boards, including the West Virginia Disaster Recovery Board (1992), and the West Virginia Selective Service Board to which he was appointed by then Gov. Caperton in 1994.

He has been a member of the NAACP since 1973, serving as Williamson branch president from 1993 to 1999 and again from 2005 to the present time.

In presentation of the 2009 Harmony and Peace Award to Fullen, it was noted the honor resulted from his constant support of the NAACP “and courageous efforts to open doors and embark where no African-American has stepped.”

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