30 Nov 2021 Person of the Month: Roy Johnson

FAMILY: 

I have been married to my wonderful wife, Marie, for the last 48 years. We have one son, Eric, a daughter, Eboni, and a granddaughter, Keyona.

EDUCATION:

I have a B.A. from Philander Smith College in Little Rock, a master in counseling from the University of Central Arkansas. I am also a graduate of a program in management and administration from the University of Alabama in Birmingham.

WORK: 

I am a staff development specialist with the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) at the Conway Human Development Center. I have been employed with the state of Arkansas for the last 47 years, with 40 of those having been spent at CHDC. I love what I am doing and I am doing what I love!!! I also taught school in the Little Rock School District for two years prior to my state employment.

WHY DID YOU BECOME A MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER: 

In my job, I have had the opportunity to assist with the training of all staff who have come to work there for the past 40 years. We provide services to persons with physical and intellectual disabilities. I talk nonstop on a daily basis to staff as well as to the residents who live there.

Many of the staff have told me that they were inspired and motivated by being in my classes and that I sounded like a motivational speaker. After numerous people continued to tell me that, I started feeling like a motivational speaker! I didn’t start calling myself one until God told me to do so after He brought me through a life-changing event in 1994.

In December 1994, I was diagnosed with a muscle disease known as dermatomyositis. This is a painful, rare inflammation of the muscles and skin. I was also diagnosed with a condition known as rhabdomyolysis, which basically means a melting away or a disintegration of the muscles. I was in the hospital for 35 days and I was off work for six months. 

Over time, not overnight, God miraculously healed me of that disease and told me to share my story around the world. I went two blocks from home and that was when I started calling myself a motivational speaker. That was in 1996 and since then I have been to all 50 states, over 300 cities and have traveled to other countries. My message is the title of my 2007 book “Put Some Gratitude in Your Attitude!”

COMMUNITY/ChurcH ACTIVITIES: 

I do several complimentary speaking engagements a year for various church and community groups throughout the country. I also serve as one of the associate ministers of Williams Temple Church of God in Christ in Little Rock.

MOST CHERISHED POSSESSION:

My love for Jesus Christ!!! I gave my life to Jesus on Sept. 1, 1974.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT LIVING IN THE 501:

I love the culture, the people, and the opportunities that I have been afforded. I have been in the 501 for 71 years. I was born in Stuttgart and moved to Little Rock in 1963.