Lee Johnson Jr.
1985
“I was the first recipient of the Stephen Chandler Ericson Scholarship Award back in 1985. I was a Senior Captain of the soccer team and was on the field the day Stephen was struck by lightning. I still have the newspaper clippings of that tragic day and think about Stephen often. We were not close friends but I saw him in the hallways on a regular basis and he and my sister were friends. I knew he was going to be “playing up” (meaning they were bringing him up from the JV team to play varsity) that day as Coach Murphy told me. My lasting impression of Stephen was the constant funny grin on his face. I don’t ever remember seeing him without it.
The award was very emotional for me since I knew Stephen. I, like the rest of my teammates that day went through something we will never forget. I am very honored to have received this scholarship since other classmates were just as deserving. I felt a responsibility and an obligation to do something with this scholarship long after college. The generosity of the Ericson family encouraged me to give back as well – for the past 10 years I have given my own scholarship out in remembrance of my Father to a senior graduate of West Chester Christian School and my wife (Barbara) and I have also recently started a foundation to help those in need. Through the tragedy of Stephen’s death, lives were changed for the better through the generosity, faithfulness and love that the Ericson family exhibited in honoring Stephen with this scholarship.”
Please visit Lee’s site at http://www.lsjassoc.com/home.php