‘Help each other’

Hard work, selflessness and a desire to give back to the community are qualities that, in Ed Johnson’s opinion, aren’t as prevalent today as in decades past.

But Johnson, a lifelong Middlesex Borough resident, has exhibited them since opening a law practice here in 1960. His community-mindedness earned him recognition as a Pillar of Middlesex during the Borough Council’s May 28 meeting.

A former borough attorney for 35 years whose volunteerism has included work with Our Lady of Mount Virgin Church and the Middlesex Library, the governing body thanked Johnson for his efforts on behalf of others.

The session also gave Johnson an opportunity to offer his observations on changing American society. The attorney has been a borough resident for 88 years and his remarks touched on depictions of Middlesex from decades past.

While growing up, Johnson recalled, he and others of his generation were taught the value of hard work. In his younger days, he cut grass and shoveled snow for neighbors and worked a series of menial jobs.

Neighborhoods comprised families headed by immigrants from various countries, who helped their neighbors. Johnson attributed that togetherness, in part, to American society pulling together during the World War II years.

“We were taught to work together, help each other, and we were told we had to try to make the world a better place in which to live,” Johnson said.

That sense of selflessness has been lost, Johnson lamented. “Today, we live in a world where people think first and most about themselves – about me and not about us,” he said.

Johnson credited his wife, Mary Lou, a former teacher, with keeping him humble and from being “obnoxiously proud.” His wife, Johnson noted, was instrumental in working to get Middlesex its own public library and compiling two pictorial history books.

Two previous mayors were important influences on Johnson. He credited Martin Matuskiewicz with being a political mentor and called Ronald Dobies “my hero.”

Dobies worked 40 hours per week in his profession as a chemist and another 40 hours weekly as mayor, Johnson said. He also credited former Mayor John Fuhrmann for his efforts to get the senior housing complex built.

There’s currently a need for increased volunteerism, according to Johnson. “Too many people today, think only of themselves,” he said. “It’s me first.”

A history buff, Johnson said the past holds lessons for the present. “But unfortunately, we never seem to learn,” he said.

He also advised others to not stop working as they get older and to assist others, either financially or through volunteerism. “Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness,” Johnson said. 

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