Harlan Johnson Memorial Scholarship
Established in 2022, Robin Johnson set up a labor education scholarship fund in memory of his father, Harlan. The scholarship covers full tuition for the Labor Leadership Academy or Labor Law series through the Labor Education Program at the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. One scholarship will be awarded each year.
About Harlan Johnson
Harlan was born and raised in Monmouth, IL. He served with the United States Navy on the Destroyer USS Mullany during World War II, participating in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He later served with the United States Army’s 7th Cavalry Regiment during the Korean War, earning five Battle Stars and a Combat Infantry Badge, and advancing to the rank of sergeant. He was a lifetime member of the Monmouth VFW Post 2301 and the Monmouth American Legion Post 136.
Harlan served as the general chairman of the Brotherhood of Railway Clerks (now the Transportation Communications International Union) in Chicago during the 1960s. His family later moved back to Monmouth, and he worked at Wilson Foods, where he became a member of the Amalgamated Meatcutters and Butcher Workmen Local Union, which later merged to form the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. Harlan served as President of Local 1218 for 15+ years and was a member of the international bargaining committee. He was also active in several organizing drives. His Local later merged with Local 1540 of the UFCW. He retired in 1990.
Harlan was active in the local Democratic Party, enjoyed playing golf, and gardening. He was an avid fan of the Chicago Bears, Cubs, and Blackhawks. Harlan loved to listen to jazz, and among his favorites were Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong.
He and his wife, Delores, had three children, Frank (Michele), Robin, and Dawn, and one grandson, Paul.
About Robin Johnson
Robin is the host of Heartland Politics, a political podcast that discusses current issues facing the country, featuring interviews with senators, congressmen, governors, and other political elites. Robin A. Johnson is a governmental relations, public policy, and political consultant. He is an expert on government reform issues and has consulted with numerous local governments on consolidation/merger, public-private partnerships, and full-cost accounting of public services. Robin has also helped candidates win elections for the U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress, state legislature, judiciary, and local government.
He is also a part-time faculty member at Monmouth College and works as a political, governmental relations, and public policy consultant. He chose to work in government and politics because he still believes in the power of government to positively impact people’s lives.
Harlan Johnson Scholarship
2025 Scholarship Winners – Susan Graves (SEIU) and Ross Thorpe (NALC)
Father is a title carried by many, but truly earned by only a few. The power it holds is vast, shaping the moral compass and motivation of those who follow. My father is my rock, the steady force that inspires me to do better, to be better, and his example created ripples that continue to shape my life. Robin Johnson established this scholarship in honor of his father, Harlan Johnson. This is the rock and the ripple.
Growing up in my household was different from those of my friends. My parents immigrated here, navigating cultural differences while working hard to provide. My father was a landscaper laborer, dedicating long hours to physically demanding but honest work. I’ll never forget the pride on his face the day he came home with a “Proud Union Home” sign, placing it in our yard, a tradition that lasted for decades. Years later, he retired as a proud Gold Card holder of Local 150 Union of Operating Engineers. This is my rock.
Continuing my labor education means building on that legacy. It means ensuring that my father’s ripple doesn’t stop with me, but grows to reach my union brothers and sisters, and even those who haven’t yet felt the strength of solidarity. With this education, I can amplify that ripple: not only improving my own path, but opening doors and strengthening protections for others.
Help me turn this ripple into the next rock, so that generations to come can stand firmly on it, and create ripples of their own.
As a proud member of the National Association of Letter Carriers I have recently graduated from our region’s leadership academy. During this training we were required to pick a particular labor event or person to research. I chose Mr. John L. Lewis and since that time I have been bitten by the bug, the bug of unionism. Mr. Lewis was born into a family of miners and died as person who only advocated for the betterment and advancement of unions that protect their members from the unsafe, unfair, and quite frankly stupid management. Labor is the backbone of this country and in this day and age it has become even more important. We currently have been put into the crosshairs of the current white house and in order to understand how to successfully beat and defeat these impending days we need to learn. Knowledge is the foundation to successfully defeating tyranny. More important than knowledge is understanding how that knowledge came out i.e. history, the law, the application of it. I believe that this program will help to build a solid foundation and help with the development and training of future leaders within the NALC. The NALC was founded in 1889 in a small bar in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and ever since the founding our union has been fighting for the betterment of its members, working conditions, and benefits. These things are all being threatened and I feel like its time for us as a Union to take the step forward an learn how to protect ourselves.
Past Awardees
2024 – Tabitha Kaye
2023 – Wendy Renteria
2022 – Nick Lopez