Chemist George Johnson was born in Cincinnati in 1921. When he was 14, a stint of meningitis left him totally deaf. According to an Ohio State News article on Johnson, he became such an adept lip reader that World War II Selective Service officials initially thought he was fabricating his disability. During his thirty-plus years working as a chemist at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL), the former name of Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1947 to 1981, Johnson used his formidable communications skills for education and outreach as well as for his work in LASL's Industrial Waste and Health and Environmental Chemistry groups.
A lifetime at the Lab
After earning his Bachelor of Science in chemistry from The Ohio State University in 1950, Johnson honed his chemistry skills as a physical science chemist, furnace operator, electroplater and more. Johnson’s personnel file tracks his job history at LASL. When the Atomic Energy Commission’s Industrial Waste Section located in Los Alamos was transferred to LASL in 1955, Johnson was transferred to the H-7 (Industrial Waste) group. Johnson’s Lab career later included work in Health and Environmental Chemistry. Many of his job responsibilities involved testing and analyzing samples. Johnson retired from the Lab in the 1980s.
Johnson was also happy to share his work with others. Early editions of The Atom, LASL's monthly scientific research newsletter from 1964 to 1980, feature photographs of Johnson explaining equipment and concepts to Laboratory visitors from local schools and tour groups.
Johnson's deafness was not the only thing that made his LASL experience unique: when he began his Lab career in 1955, he was also one of only three Black employees — and the only Black scientist — at LASL. In a January 1955 article in Ebony magazine, Johnson described the lack of discrimination he experienced in Los Alamos and the acceptance he received from his scientific peers.
Throughout his personnel records, Johnson's disability seldom appears. His deafness was noted in his employment application, as well as his ability to lip read. While working at LASL, he earned a certificate for training in basic American Sign Language in 1978.
While Johnson's unique experience at LASL is not representative of the experiences of all people with disabilities, his story does exemplify the valuable work that personnel with disabilities have historically performed at the Lab. As Sarah Hayes, co-chair of the Lab’s DiverseAbility employee resource group said, “As we celebrate Disability Celebration Month and work to advocate and foster inclusion for disabled employees at Los Alamos National Laboratory, we look back on the legacy of George Johnson and remember that we have always been an essential part of the Lab's work."
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