Charlie C. Johnson, 23, labor foreman, saved William M. Morris, 19, and Bobby D. Scott, 18, laborers, from suffocation, Memphis, Texas, August 8, 1959. While Morris and Scott were working in a storage building containing approximately 1,000 tons of cottonseed hulls, a section of the hulls 70 feet high shifted without warning and buried them completely. Johnson, the only other person in the building, was 40 feet away wearing a dust mask and was buried to his waist. He dug himself out and crawled under a metal roof which covered a conveyor belt. Straddling the belt, Johnson made his way in the heavy dust caused by the slide to a point opposite where he last had seen Morris and Scott. He then moved onto the hulls and began digging with his hands, forming a tunnel in the tightly packed hulls. Disregarding the danger of a second slide, he dug two feet, passing the edge of the roof into an area where the hulls were about 20 feet deep, and then dug several feet farther. He uncovered Morris and pulled him back through the tunnel into the area covered by the roof. Morris made his way alongside the conveyor to an opening at the end and was aided outside by others. Johnson crawled back into the tunnel he had made and in the deep area of hulls dug two and a half feet farther. He located Scott, who grasped Johnson’s hand and then lost consciousness. Johnson quickly pulled Scott back through the tunnel and dragged him to the opening at the end of the conveyor. Others pulled Scott to the outside and Johnson followed. Scott regained consciousness.
44956-4358Obituary
Charlie C. Johnson, 88, of Memphis, Texas, passed away Monday, July 28, 2025, in Memphis. Johnson was born on January 21, 1937, in Hedley, Texas, to Walter Cleveland and Gladys Clementine Johnson. He married Shirley Faye Jones on January 17, 1959, in Hollis, Oklahoma. A lifelong resident of Donley County, Johnson moved to Memphis in 1998. A true cowboy at heart, Johnson spent many years rodeoing, riding broncs and bulls, and later served as a rodeo judge. He also enjoyed attending motocross races with his family to watch his son compete. He worked in real estate and served as a Tax Appraiser for several years, as well as working for many years at Bolin Grain Elevator in Clarendon. While employed at the Paymaster Cotton Oil Mill, he was awarded the prestigious Carnegie Medal of Honor for saving a life. From 1984 until his retirement in 1998, Johnson served as Donley County Constable. Known for his vibrant personality, he loved his cows, enjoyed teasing friends and neighbors, and was always ready with a prank. He was once recognized as one of the Panhandle’s most colorful characters by the Amarillo Globe-News. Johnson was also deeply involved in his community. He served as President of both the Clarendon Outdoor Entertainment Association and Memphis Meals on Wheels, and was a member of the Donley County Appraisal District Board of Directors. A devoted member of the Hedley Church of Christ, he led congregational singing for many years. He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, W.C. Johnson; and a sister, Velva Gibson. Survivors include his wife, Shirley Johnson of Memphis; his son, Tom Johnson and wife Carol of Quanah; his daughter, Sherryl Byars and husband Brad of Giles; his grandchildren, Jared Johnson and wife Melissa, Alex Johnson and wife Kelsie, all of Shallowater, Kendra Martin of Memphis, Matt Martin of Giles, and Wacie Decker and husband Shane of Clarendon; step-grandchildren, Kendell Williams and husband Jakob of Childress, Kade Byars and wife Bailee of Lakeview, and Kye Cogdell and husband Colton of Silverton; 9 great-grandchildren with one on the way; a nephew, Roger Gibson and wife Trudi of Canton, Oklahoma; and numerous other nieces, nephews, and cousins.