Carlton L. Johnson

Before Carlton was a husband, a father, or a grandfather, he was a son and a brother. By birth and blood, he was younger brother to one and older brother to three others.I personally witnessed him be an excellent son to his parents and personally experienced him be an excellent brother to me. It's no surprise to me that he was such a good brother that in life, his treatment of those whose paths he crossed compelled so many to adopt him as a brother in the global family. Carlton cared. Amen.

And CJ at his peak, as editor of our high school yearbook in 1975, with our

merry gang.

Boundless. Or at least Carlton seemed that way. In the best sense of the word. Energy that hardly ever stopped.  A spirit that could not be stopped. A curiosity and appreciation for the world and especially its faiths.  I first began to experience the wonder of Carlton’s energy when we worked together in the middle of the night on our high school yearbook, called Whispers, in our junior and senior years at Episcopal High School. We’d been together at Episcopal for two years already, starting in the fall of 1971, friends but not yet pals. But burning the midnight oil working on the yearbook was a whole other thing.  I would start flagging at 1 a.m. or so but we’d start talking about some nonsense and laughter would keep us going for a while longer.  That was Carlton. Or CJ as I knew him in those days.  And that was Carlton throughout life. He always kept going a while longer, despite the odds and obstacles that were often against him. That smile, his broad unstoppable smile, and his unchecked laughter from somewhere deep within, made the going more doable – for himself and for others. Combine that with his love and talent for music … through the years he opened ears and hearts to so much inspiration. Just one example - Ahmad Jamal’s One came to me via Carlton. I listen to the song now and can’t help move to its beat, and think about someone who was a good brother to me for more than 50 years.  And during those 50 years, Carlton built a foundation of faith and understanding of religion that was, well, boundless. Just a year ago, Carlton and I were celebrating our close birthdays over dinner at my home in Washington. Conversation with Carlton and my wife Ana Maria was wide-ranging that night and eventually settled on faith. Carlton’s explanation of several Biblical stories and their meaning was as good as many sermons we’ve heard – opening our eyes to insights. There was so much more he could have shared about faith and about the common threads and lessons of the world’s religions. And about the beauty of the world, especially its music.  I still have his eclectic 400+ song playlist on YouTube Music, Bodhisattvas Unlimited, to probe for new discoveries – for the music and for the inspirations, including  bodhisattva (one dedicated to compassion and helping others).  That is fortunate. This part of Carlton lives on. We will miss so much more. Boundless.

Dear All,

I grieve with you. When i came to EHS 1973, Carlton was welcoming to us all. I was a fan of his and saw a spirit that NONE of us had.Always an inspiration, i am humbled to have known him.

Edward C. Morrison md

ehs 1976

Couple of interesting memories involving Carlton who I felt instantly close with when sharing fundraising days mostly in Illinois in late 70s and early 1980s. 1. Him having to be driven one hour to find a barber that could deal with his hair while we were in a very white part of the countryside ( the whole thing an eye opener for this naive Englishman). 2. An intense and loud argument between Carlton and our team captain which reduced down to a him arguing love was the original essence of God's nature as opposed to his captain who insisted that truth was; almost got us kicked out of our motel room that night. 3. Working in Alaska together he bought me the CD of the 'Beverley Hills Cop' movie for my birthday. He was such a profoundly deep hearted brother who I always regretted not being able to know during our later family orientated days but I was privileged to receive his love and will miss him always. God Bless you my precious brother!