Worcester NAACP endorses project; would be paid for by Worcester Historical Soc.

By Josh Davis, Associate Editor

(Feb. 8, 2018) The Worcester County NAACP will formally endorse efforts by the Worcester County Historical Society to erect a statue honoring Negro League baseball standout William Julius “Judy” Johnson, a Snow Hill native.

In 1975, Johnson became the sixth Negro League player inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

Worcester County Historical Society President Charles Weaver made a presentation encouraging the proposal during a Snow Hill Council work session last August.

At the time, Weaver said a student essay written by Stephen Decatur High School student Cole Mumford inspired the idea.

Weaver said he would spearhead fundraising efforts for the memorial, adding, “It won’t be a taxpayer problem … I’m not looking for money here.”

Town officials, at the request of the NAACP, consented to the text of an NAACP resolution during a Snow Hill Town Council work session last Tuesday.

The text reads, “The Worcester County Branch of the NAACP strongly endorses the effort to plan and construct a suitable memorial to William ‘Judy’ Johnson, one of the best baseball players of the twenties and thirties in the Negro League and the Country and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

“We applaud the recent efforts by Charles Weaver, President of the Worcester County Historical Society and the Mayor and Town Council of Snow Hill and other organizations to honor this native son of Worcester County. We urge those and other government, nonprofit and business organizations to support this effort.”

Mayor Charlie Dorman said the town needs to find a location for the memorial.

“We said if they wanted to do something in Byrd Park it would be fine, but the ideal spot would be in the ball field [John Walter Smith Memorial Park],” Dorman said.