August 12, 1999

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Date: 08/19/1999

JOSHUA JOHNSON - Obituary, Aug. 12, 1999

Joshua Johnson, an educator and veteran of baseball's Negro Leagues, died Thursday (Aug. 12, 1999) of natural causes at his home in Springfield, Ill. He was 86.

Mr. Johnson, born Jan. 24, 1913, in Evergreen, Ala., was a catcher with four Negro League clubs from 1934 to '42. He began as the backup to Josh Gibson, and in 1940, when Gibson left to play in Mexico, Johnson hit .429.