By Taylor Nigrelli
Sports Assignment Editor
It’s not uncommon for students to have a litany of grievances about the college or university they attend. You can see it every day here at St. Bonaventure. We complain about the food at the Hickey and lament poor class registration times. It seems there’s always something for us to gripe about while we’re in school.
But Neal Johnson, ’73, has a hard time finding any fault with his time at St. Bonaventure. Johnson, currently the President and CEO of Special Olympics New York, has been involved in some manner of athletic volunteer work since 1976.
He traces his commitment to volunteering back to the Franciscan values he said were instilled in him at St. Bonaventure. Johnson graduated with a degree in physical education, combining the two most important aspects of his profession: athletics and service.
He now oversees the sixth-largest Special Olympics organization in the world and the biggest in North America. Special Olympics New York serves more than 61,000 children and adult athletes with intellectual disabilities.
This journey started 37 years ago when Johnson was living in New York City. He said a friend asked him to help set up a competition at Fordham university for mentally disabled athletes.
Johnson agreed to help and never looked back.
“I really became enamored with Special Olympic athletes and the movement,” he said.
Johnson became further involved with the organization as time went on. He eventually became a member of the board of directors and ascended to the position of vice chairman of the board. In 1997 he was asked to take over as president, a position he’s held ever since.
Through all the success he’s achieved in his personal life, Johnson still appreciates the time he spent and relationships he formed at St. Bonaventure. He speaks of a “Bona’s mystique” that only a person attended Bonaventure could understand.
Johnson referred to the friends and acquaintances he made as family.
“I’m a strong believer in what we know as the Bona’s family,” Johnson said. “Bona’s is a different place than any of the other colleges I’ve been around over 40 years.”
This family-like atmosphere is why Johnson wasn’t surprised when so many of his former classmates came to his aid after he suffered a major cardiac episode in November. Throughout his recuperation period, he was visited by many of his classmates. Johnson said many of his old friends, some who he hadn’t seen in years, offered to help him in any way possible.
So the next time you curse your decision to attend St. Bonaventure over a minor issue, remember Johnson’s story.
While St. Bonaventure certainly has its faults, there are positive aspects to nearly every situation. Bona’s wasn’t perfect when Johnson attended, either. Yet he enjoyed his time in college and gained the valuable skills, knowledge and perspective he needed to succeed in the professional world.
Johnson knows it’s not easy to realize how special college is until it’s over. That’s why he implores current students to enjoy their time at St. Bonaventure. He knows how quickly the time can pass.
“You won’t realize what it is until it’s over,” Johnson said. “But someday you’ll be thinking about it and you’ll say ‘man, that was the greatest time of my life.’”
