A LUMNI S U C C E S S
JUDGE ANTHONY H.
JOHNSON J.D. ’80
“I am not wealthy. I am a retired public servant, but I have
everything that I need,” said book author Judge Anthony
H. Johnson J.D. ’80. Judge Johnson writes about his
experiences as a Marine who served in Vietnam. He recently
dedicated the proceeds of one of his novels, Ambush at the Waterfall:
Marines in Vietnam, to a scholarship for veterans at Stetson.
“My motivation for writing was not financial. I wanted to record
the stories for history to tell about that war to future generations,
in honor of the men I served with.”
Ambush at the Waterfall is
dedicated to the Marines
and Navy Corpsman
killed in action near a
waterfall on May 29,
1968. Johnson said that
the proceeds from his
Vietnam stories seemed
like a logical way to help
the scholarship for Stetson
students towards
endowment.
“Veterans’ educational
benefits are very helpful,
but they do have limits,”
said Johnson. “It is often
necessary for students to
take time away from their
studies to engage in
outside employment in order to afford Stetson. Scholarship
support helps relieve students of that burden and allows them to
concentrate on their legal education.”
Johnson enlisted in the Marines at the age of 17.
What he said he learned in Marine training was that when you
think you are done, you really have about 50 percent left in a
reserve that you never thought that you had. A person can do a lot
more than they think they can, said Johnson, and sometimes you
must reach down into that reserve to get that extra push.
After serving as a Marine, Johnson continued his career as a police
officer, deputy sheriff, secret service agent, and prosecutor. In his
third year after law school, Johnson saw an opportunity to continue
public service on the bench and was elected county judge in
Orange County, Florida. After 29 years, Johnson stepped down
from the circuit court bench and assumed senior judge status.
Today, Johnson enjoys flying a small airplane that was used by the
U.S. Army in World War II and is active in the St. Petersburg
chapter of the experimental aircraft association. Johnson also
My motivation for writing was not financial. I
wanted to record the stories for history to tell
about that war to future generations, in honor
of the men I served with.”
participates in local sailing events with his boat “Magic Dragon”
and travels regularly. Additionally, Johnson recently spent a week
in Martinique conducting research for a historical novel about
privateers and smugglers in colonial America.
Johnson’s biggest passion is providing pro bono legal services to
deployed troops.
“We must fight for those people who fight for us,” said Johnson.
Years ago, when a large number of troops were deployed to hostile
fire zones in the Middle East, Johnson started a nonprofit organization
that provided pro bono legal service to deployed troops.
Many military members are unable to afford legal counsel and the
military does not provide that service. Johnson wanted to relieve
military members from the distraction and worry of legal issues
that arose during their service.
“If you are a 19-year-old Marine or soldier walking through a
minefield in Afghanistan, you need to concentrate on what you are
doing, not worry about your car being repossessed or a child
custody issue,” said Johnson. “While many of those legal issues are
small and easily handled, they result in high stress to the service
member involved.”
To learn more about books by Johnson, visit www.anthonyhjohnson.
com.
— Judge Anthony H. Johnson J.D. ’80
B Y S A R A H S H I R L E Y
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