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Fred Johnson Named Citizen Of The Year

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By JAN HOLLINGSWORTH, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 27, 2008

Updated: 02/25/2008 07:56 pm

PLANT CITY - It's hard to keep a secret in this town, but somehow they pulled it off.

While restaurateur Fred Johnson went about his daily business feeding the hordes that flock to his eateries at the height of the winter season, skullduggery was afoot.

His son Caleb, a U.S. Marine, supposedly had returned to his post at Camp David, Md., a few days before. Instead, Caleb was hiding in Plant City waiting for the big event.

Son Michael, a budding chef, covertly flew in from New York the night before and also disappeared into the family fold.

On Feb. 20, the extended Johnson clan gathered in the lobby as Fred Johnson, oblivious, dined on ham and roast beef, green beans and mashed potatoes at the Red Rose Ballroom surrounded by nearly 200 of the city's prominent business, civic and government leaders.

"I was lied to," he would say later, grinning broadly.
Fred Johnson had never attended the annual event, which honored the community's citizen of the year. It was always held in February, the busy season at Fred's Market Restaurant and Grandpa Johnson's Barbeque in Plant City, as well as Fred's Southern Kitchen in Lakeland.

But the family told him his cousin Johnny Dean Page was to receive the prestigious award. They suggested he should be there to support his kin.

So Fred Johnson took his place at one of the many banquet tables, basking in the secret knowledge of his cousin's impending honor. His cousin, of course, had a secret of his own: Fred Johnson was about to be named Plant City's 49th Citizen of the Year - and he hadn't a clue.

Ten local civic organizations participate in the process of choosing a member of the community who has given of themselves freely for years and asked for nothing in return.
Financial contributions are not a consideration.

They cannot be seeking political office. They are not necessarily members of a specific club.

Jack Gibbs, last year's Citizen of the Year, passed the torch to an astonished Johnson.

There was a standing ovation.

"If you've lived in Plant City more than 30 days, you've availed yourself of his service to this community," Gibbs said.

He might have been talking about the Southern food and hospitality Johnson has been serving up since 1980, when he and his brother Buddy launched BuddyFreddys restaurant. Fred Johnson learned the business working nights and weekends in the restaurant his parents founded in 1954, Gibbs said.

Certainly the down-home eateries that bear his name are Fred Johnson's most visible contribution, but his service on the boards of the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, the Southwest Florida Water Management District, the South Florida Baptist Hospital Foundation, the Plant City Boys & Girls Club and support of youth sports in the area have touched most everyone at one time or another.

"Passionate, selfless, committed, integrity - these are the words people use to describe Fred Johnson," said Gibbs, who noted the restaurateur's "relentless pursuit of community service."

Johnson's acceptance was brief and from the heart.

"I just do what my mom and daddy tell me, and my daddy told me to work all the time," he said. "My mom is the giver. That's what she taught me and that's the greatest thing anybody can do."

As he spoke, the Johnson clan filed in from the lobby and formed a line to receive him when he stepped from the podium.

His parents, Elton and Evelyn Johnson, brother Buddy, son Owen with his children in tow, sons Caleb and Michael, wife Tammy and many more beaming relatives.

One by one, he hugged them all. Then the crowd converged, Plant City-style. Everyone was looking for a hug and a handshake.

The freshly crowned Florida Strawberry Festival queen and her court waited patiently for a break in the steady stream of well-wishers.

Kristen Elise Smith, the new queen, collected Johnson for a photo op with the royal court.

Cameras clicked and well-wishers continued to converge on the dazed and unassuming restaurateur. Johnson beamed.

"I feel like a rock star," he said.

CITIZEN OF THE YEAR

The award was established in 1960 by the First National Bank of Plant City, later assumed by the Kiwanis Club. The first recipient was Arthur Boring, a prominent local bank president. The program has grown through the years, with additional civic organizations joining to support the program, which is not a fundraiser. The sole purpose is to recognize and honor an outstanding Plant City citizen.

PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS: American Business Women's Association, Civitan Club, GFWC Woman's Club, GFWC Junior Woman's Club, Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis Club, Lions Club, Optimist Club, Pilot Club, Rotary Club

Reporter Jan Hollingsworth can be reached at (813) 865-4436 or jhollingsworth@tampatrib.com.

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