March 29, 2024

Johnson, Albee honored at banquet

Image 1 of 2

GRINNELL — When the Iowa Transportation Museum held its second anniversary event Friday, six men were inducted as “transportation heroes.” Two of those heroes have strong ties to Jasper County.

Earl Johnson of Newton, who was manager of the Newton airport and filled many other aviation roles for many years, is part of the 2015 class. Also inducted was Ray Albee, Jr. of Lynnville, a fuel truck driver who drove more than three million miles without a single accident in a 40-year career.

Also inducted were engineer Ken Bucklin; the late firefighter and bus driver William “Porky” DenHartog; the late driving instructor, Wallace Winkie and the late Ralph Ogan, a Grinnell police officer who was killed in the line of duty. Allen relished the opportunity to learn more from the men who were honored, and all the years of experience and dedication in pioneering the Iowa we know today. State Sen. Chaz Allen (D-Iowa) spoke briefly at the event.

“They deserve all the honors they’re getting,” Allen said. “This is a fun event, and you try to have something funny to say about each guy, but then your read through their accomplishments, and this is serious stuff, like hauling fuel.”

Johnson is credited with helping connect the Maytag corporation with the rest of the world in the aviation realm. He took over as the fixed base operator / airport manager in Newton in October of 1949, and renamed Smith Aviation to Johnson Aviation.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Johnson said in describing the ceremony. “It was wonderful.”

Johnson was also a pilot for many years, and set a high standard in the fixed-base operator and corporate aviation industry throughout central Iowa. He was honored as a pioneer in the industry by the Iowa Aviation Museum in Greenfield, Iowa in 2014.

Johnson said even though things were rough and more dangerous in the early post-World War II era, he knows people in aviation were creating something special.

“Those were good days,” Johnson said.

Albee said he drove during an era when Iowa not only didn’t have today’s modern road construction and snow-removal technology, but also had things like curbed highways, forcing wide trucks to drive with the right side of the truck up off the roadway.

He said others in town looked to see if fuel trucks headed out on the highway to brave the weather, and based decisions on truck drivers’ choices.

“If they saw us go out, then they’d go out,” Albee said. “We probably went out sometimes when we shouldn’t have. “The good Lord was watching out for us. The joke is that hauling fuel is only dangerous if you have an accident. I was real lucky.”

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com