Biography and Letters of Appreciation

Biography of Ray Padre Johnson

by H. R. Meier, former nationally renowned political speech writer.

Ray Padre Johnson has truly lived the adventure of the renaissance man in our time. His most recent major achievement involved the use of his skills as an accomplished international award winning artist and writer to complete his 14 year project on the "Faces of the Global Human Family". This project brought him to the people of 159 nations and nearly all the cultures that still work with the tools of their ancestral past. He also has lived in eight distinctly different regions of the USA. In addition, he has crisscrossed the North American continent and all 50 states of the USA many times over through the years to listen, observe, and personally feel the diverse emotional, facial and cultural fabric of its people.

In December 1992, his book, Journeys with the Global Human Family, and his Faces of the World art exhibition was celebrated at a very successful United Nations New York premiere opening. Another highlight overseas premiere exhibit and presentation of his global insights occurred in Beijing China's Forbidden City Royal Palace site. This was the first time that an American artist was invited by the Chinese Ministry of Culture to exhibit at the Royal Palace site.

A former presidential speech writer and patron of the arts has written: "To appreciate the quality and natural spirit of freedom in Padre's insights and artistic creativity, you have to understand him through the very unusual and diverse range of events and job descriptions in his unique personal history." These include drawing portraits with unusual likeness at the age of ten, the life of a working cowboy, blue collar worker in industry, heavy construction and transportation, successful college athlete, emergency room medical technician, author, community and college campus pastor, holder of key leadership positions in government and human services, accomplished international award winning western, wildlife and portrait artist, and the recipient of many prestigious achievement awards in recognition of his humanitarian and written accomplishments.

During the Vietnam War, Padre entered the Navy Chaplain Corps and served both as a hospital and prison chaplain. In 1967-68 he server the Special Forces "Black Berets River Raiders" River Assault Force One in Vietnam's Mekong Delta as their Medical Chaplain. There he was branded with the repeated name of Padre, or Doc, from the men with whom he lived and survived. Though twice wounded while leading many successful rescue missions in that bloody riverine Delta war zone, he became one of the highest decorated chaplains in American history. In 1969 he was honored by the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce as "One of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans." This honor was given in recognition of the service he rendered to his own men, to the Vietnamese people, and the publication of his first book, Postmark Mekong Delta. In previous years, this honor was given to such notables as John F. Kennedy, Leonard Bernstein, Orson Welles and Henry Kissinger. In 1998, the award winning book, The Brown Water Black Berets, by Thomas Cuttler and the Naval Institute, devoted 12 pages to Padre's successful rescue efforts during the bloody June '67 Coronado II battle in the Delta.

In 1970, Padre left the Chaplain Corps and the active ministry and entered a series of secular

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leadership positions in government and human services. During this period of changing job descriptions, he created and helped to implement a number of successful community based crime prevention, drug abuse and corrections experimental programs as Director of Development for the Governor's Crime Commission in the State of Minnesota. He completed this particular chapter in his life by designing a very successful community development concept for a range of "disadvantaged communities as Director of Community Development for National Technical Services Foundation.

In 1974, lie decided against a strong endorsement to run for his districts US Congressional seat and chose instead to reenter the active ministry of the church as the resident minister to a "New Town" Community Church experimental ministry through the combined sponsorship of the National Council of Churches and the Lutheran Church in America. During this period he reinterpreted the creeds and wrote new forms of worship in the contemporary language of our time. At the same time he also completed the work for his doctorate in the combined academic disciplines of ministry, theology and cultural anthropology. The research for his thesis led him to the peoples and religious diversity of eight distinctly different global cultures. Ironically, his doctoral research served as a very important ingredient in the project involving his later journey with the Global Human Family.

In March 1979, Padre took another "leave of absence" from the active ministry. Following a major, but friendly disagreement with the authorities of his own Lutheran Church denomination over his world view, he returned to Wyoming. There he hired on as a working range cowman/cowboy on three high country ranches, including one of the last horsedrawn chuckwagon outfits in the American West. One day a portrait sketch Padre gave to his cow boss in trade for his saddle was discovered by a very prestigious gallery and his professional art career was born.

Since his premiere opening presentations at the United Nations and at Beijing's Forbidden City Royal Palace, he has received many invitations to exhibit and speak about his global adventure at museums, international conferences, colleges, universities and schools of all grade levels in Europe, Asia, Africa and throughout the North American continent. One of the more recent highlights occurred when he served as a special presenter/speaker at the Moscow World Citizens Summit, which convened citizens from around the world to discuss the range of global concerns and solutions for the 1990's.

The clearest endorsement of Padre's interpretive skills through the instrument of brush and pen is reflected in the words of art critic and former director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Dr. Noel Brown. He writes, "At the United Nations, we are deeply honored to officially endorse and host the premiere opening of Padre's Faces of the Global Human Family exhibition. As we move through the approaching years of rapid global change, we believe that his exceptional ability to translate his insights of the human family into visual art and written form will not only provide a very important visual contribution towards increased understanding among peoples of our planet, but will maintain a unique historical significance as he leaves his enduring mark on the consciousness of each reader, viewer and listener."