The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — His former coworkers remember Michael “Mickey” Johnson, a former editor of The Herald-Dispatch, as a mentor, a skillful journalist and a friend.
Johnson died Thursday night at Cabell Huntington Hospital. A graduate of Huntington East High School and Marshall University, Johnson was co-owner of We Edit Books, a manuscript editing service.
The Vietnam War veteran and avid golfer served The Herald-Dispatch in several capacities. He joined the newspaper as a reporter in 1980. He served as assistant city editor, sports editor, special projects editor, assistant managing editor, content editor and managing editor.
In 1994, Johnson was one of 15 people selected by Gannett Co. Inc., the nation’s largest newspaper chain, as an outstanding newsroom supervisor.
“I once told Mickey if I could be anyone in the world I’d want to be him so I could experience the sheer joy of working with me,” Herald-Dispatch sports writer Tim Stephens said Friday. “Really, though, the joy was mine to work with Mickey. He was a great mentor and dear friend. I’ll miss him.”
