The Progressive West Virginian. [volume] (Williamson, W. Va.) 1911-1913, 1912-05-30
rrailroad. \. mem I, were q, n 3. III.

ffalif0dd- men were pleased.
i George P. Johnson handed in his
resignation on Friday at Roanoke
and when w. j jerks left here on
i Friday night for Roanoke, the rail
I road men knew there would be some
i thing doing, and this belief was made
stronger when w. s. Becker was
called to Roanoke, and left yesterday
morning on Train No. 4
d. E. Spangler, superintendent OF
transportation on the Norfolk and
Western, was one of the witnesses to
the warm reception given Mi. Becker
last night at the depot, ewhen he
alighted from train No. 3. 1t was fully
ten minutes before he could get away
| from the railroad men and their
| friends, all of whom were anxious to
congratulate the man VINO started in
lrailroading as a brakeman, and is
now general superintendent of the
best managed railroad in the coun-
| try.
George r. Johnson, whose resig-
nation as general superinten lent,
and promotion to the receivership OF
the D. T. & l.. brought about the va
cancies, came to the Norfolk & West
ern as a yard clerk and yard master
at Crewe and was afterwards pro-
NOTED to the position of yard master
at Kenova, which position he left to
become assistant trainmaster on the
Shenandoah division He was pro-
noted to trainmaster and then to
superintendent on the Shenandoah
division, and leaving that position,
he went to the Sciota division as
superintendent which place he was
filing when the business of the Nor
folk & Western became so heavy that
A. G. Needles, who was then general
superintendent of the entire Norfolk
& Western system, could not handle
it alone, and in July, 1907 the of
flee of western general superintend-
ent, in charge of all lines west of
Bluefield, was created, and Mr. John
son was given the place. He held this
position until Friday, when he form
ally resigned, although he went to
the Detroit, Toledo & Irontoh Rail
way, as receiver, on May IL.
Ambition and hard work were the
two slogans which brought Mr.. John
son to the top, and it was never too
late or too early for him to be on the
job. When he first became general
superintendent, many people thought
that he had been appointed because
his father was president of the road,
but as the men began to know him;
watch him work beside them; deal
with them squarely when their COM
mittees conferred with the officials
on wage and other problems, they
began to admire him, and many sin
cerely regretted his leaving here,
even though he has received a first
class position. AS receiver of the
Detroit, Toledo & Ironton, local
railroad men say that if George p
Johnson does not make good, the
bankers had better pull up the
rails, as it will be impossible for
anyone to make good.
w. S. Becker, who succeeds Mr.
johnson as general superintendent,
was born in Selma, Ala, in 1857.
After the war he and his father
started north as they found oppor-
tunities were not very bright, and
Mr. Becker's mother, who was
southern woman, went with them
When he was about twenty-one, Mr.
Becker took Horace Greely's advice
and went west and became brake
man on the Union Pacific in 1879,
when they laid man off for thirty