The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-05-13
Memorial Gates For
 Stratford Cemetery
Columbia College Presents Gift to Church in Whose
 Cemetery Its First President is Buried

. Stratford May 13- Memorial gates and tablets honoring Samuel Johnson. the first president of Kings College, now Columbia Uni- versity. and his son, William Samuel Johnson, the first president of Co., lumbia College. will be presented by Columbia to the Christ Episco- pal church cemetery of Stratford, Conn, at dedicatory exercises to be 1eld at Christ Church on Friday, May Is. at p. m.
 Nearly 5000 Columbia alumni in- cluding SS6 alumni resident in Con- necticut, have been invited to att tend the unveiling of the gates and the dedication service. Representa- tives of all universities and colleges in Connecticut and many men and women of prominence in the state are expected to be present.
 Formal presentation of the gates ard tablets to the cemetery in which Samuel Johnson and his son are buried will be made by Marcel lug Hartley Dodge, clerk of the Columbia Board of Trustees. Nj cholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia University, will deliver an address. The invocation will be pronounced by Rev Loyal Y. Gra- hsm, Sd, rector of Christ Episcopal church. Prayers written by Dr Samuel Johnson will be offered by Rev Raymond c. Knox, Chaplain of Columbia, and the service will close with an anthem by the Christ church choir.
 The inscription on the tablets, written by Chaplain Knox, Colum- bia '03. follows:
 This Gate is the gift of Columbia University in the City of
 New York
 in grateful memory of
 Samuel Johnson
 the first President of Kings College in the Providence of New York.
 1754-1763 A. D.,
 and of his son
 William Samuel Johnson
 the first President of Columbia
 College in the City of
 New York.
 whose graves are within this
 cemetery.
 1787-1800 A. D.
 Headers of the people by
 their counsels, and by their
 knowledge of learning meet for
 the people, wise and eloquent
 in their instructions"
 The exercises will be preceded by luncheon in the Parish house for President Butler and the trustees of Columbia University. Other guests will include: w. P. Kirk, president, Charles M. Pond. secre- tary. and Dr Euen Van Kleeck of the Columbia Alumni club of Hart ford, Conn; John K. Fitch, pres!- dent of the Alumni Federation; Frederic K. Seward, president of the College Alumni association; F.. A. Prentis, Jr., president of the En- gineering Schools Alumni associa- ton.
 pr Samuel Johnson. born in Guilford, Conn, in 1896, was a grad uate of the College at Saybrooke. now Yale University, and was a tutor there for three years. He settled in West Haven. a part of New Haven. as a Congregational minister. but finally became con- vinced that the true ordination was the Episcopal ordination, went to England, and took orders as min ister of the Church of England.
 Dr Johnson returned to this country as a missionary of the so- ciety for the propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, and settled at Stratford, Conn, in 1723.
 The University of oxford, Eng land conferred upon him the de- gree of Doctor of Divinity in 1743. When the College at Philadelphia, now the University of Pennsylvania, was projected in 1749, he was asked to take charge of it. Benjamin Franklin was especially ugent anrd visited pr Johnson at Stratford. but failed to persuade him to accept the post.
 When pr Johnson was Invited, in 1753, to take chage of the intended College in New York. he hesitated. but finally came to New York, by way of trial in April. 1754. He would not. however. positively ac- cept the presidency until after the passage of the charter and the con- sequent determination of the condi- tons under which the college should proceed
 On July IT, 1754, Dr Johnson, who constituted in himself the en- tire faculty, began, in the vestry room of the school house of Trinity church. the instruction of the first class of what was soon to be King !  sity in the City of New York.
 In the course of the year. the charter was passed and Dr Johnson accepted the office of president. On the admission of a second class in 1755. his son, William Samuel Johnson, was appointed to assist the president ip the courses of in- struction.
 The smallpox broke out in New York in November. 1757. and Presl- dent Johnson. who had accepted his office unde the express condition that he should be allowed to retire to some place of safety out of town when the smallpox prevailed with drew with hls family to Westchester. He returned in March, but, driven away again by an epidemic m october, 1759 he spent the winter with his son at Stratford.
 In June, 17G2, the last commence