Purnell E. Johnson, Sr.

Purnell E. Johnson, Sr. of DeSoto passed away on January 27, 2021 at Charlton Methodist Hospital in Dallas, TX.  He was born on December 16, 1941 in Washington, D.C. Purnell was preceded in death by his parents Norman and Catherine (Duckett) Johnson.

Purnell was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend who never met a stranger.  He loved pulling pranks that brought joy and laughter and lovingly offered a helping hand to loved ones and strangers.

He matriculated through the Washington, D.C. School System and graduated from Anacostia High School in 1961.

After High School, Purnell attended the Temple Business School of Washington D.C. where he received an Accounting Certificate.

In 1964 Purnell was drafted for Army Military duty in support of the Vietnam war.  Purnell was trained in engineering supply and sent to Italy where he served nearly two years.  While in Italy, Purnell went out for and made the base basketball team.  Playing basketball afforded him the opportunity to travel to Europe and participated in competitive basketball.  Purnell’s most memorable experience in Italy was playing ball against Bill Bradley who was a Rhode Scholar, but later played in the NBA and eventually becoming a U.S. Senator.

After military service, Purnell uncertain as to what he wanted to do professionally vigorously pursued his education and received an Associate degree in computer science from the Prince Georges Community College (1974); his degree I The Administration of Justice from the American University, Washington, D.C. (1977); and was later awarded his JD degree in law from the Potomac School of Law, Washington, D.C. (1982).

Purnell’s decision to pursue a law degree was influenced by then United States Marshall Luke Moore a long-time family friend who subsequently went on to become a federal judge in Washington, D.C. Another influence was that of Kurt Schmoke, a former mayor of Baltimore and Dean of Howard University School of Law.

While pursuing his education; Purnell worked for the D.C. Government Vital Records. After leaving the D.C. Government to attend school full time was asked by Mr. John Crandle, then Registrar of Vital Records t accept an internship to coordinate the successful upgrading and modernization of its vital record system which enabled a faster turn-around time for requests of birth certificates and death records. Purnell received a District of Columbia Government Commendation for his leadership on that project.

Purnell would later go on to accept a position with the United States Department of Commerce Census Bureau where he worked as a Statistician. Purnell served as a director of a Criminal Justice Expenditure and Employment Survey and worked closely with Department of Justice Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) in gathering information in determining the allocation of Block Grants for law enforcement purposes. Purnell’s position enabled him to travel extensively throughout the United States.  Purnell also contributed to the publication “Expenditure and Employment for the Criminal Justice System”, a widely used national law enforcement reference publication.  Purnell also worked on projects related to the U.S. Population Census.

Purnell relocated to Atlanta Georgia in 1986, where he accepted a position with the United States Department of Education Student Loans as a Litigation Specialist.  There Purnell worked with the  United States Department in Justice in the collection of defaulted student loan debt.

In 1992 Purnell relocated to Dallas, Texas to accept a position with the United States Department of Education as a Civil Rights Investigator.  This position involved the enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin; Title IX prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability; Age Discrimination Act of 1975, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of age; Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability; and Affirmative Action compliance.

Purnell’s last assignment prior to his retirement involved the landmark case Hopkins v Texas; where the plaintiff a white female successfully challenged the University of Texas Law School affirmative action policy on student admissions and subsequently the decision was decided on by the United States Supreme Court.

While in government, Purnell was active in improving the advancement opportunities for minorities in government.  He served several terms as vice President of “Blacks Within Government”.

Purnell took an early retirement from the government in 1995.

In 1995, Purnell was stricken with Non-Hodkins Lymphoma and had to undergo extensive treatment of Chemotherapy.  Purnell was subsequently referred to the University of Nebraska at Omaha for a clinical trial utilizing “Stem Cells”.

Since his retirement from Government, Purnell has worked for several law firms I the Dallas Area specializing in consumer, employment, family, and immigration law.  He also worked for a period as a Contract Mediator with the United States Postal services Regress Program.

Purnell had the rewarding experience of helping the public by serving several years as the Director of CBS-11 News “Call for Action Program”.

Purnell also had the distinction of being the first black to serve as a vice president of “Call for Action International” which consisted of non-profit network of media outlets throughout the U.S. and abroad (TV and Radio) based out of Bethesda Maryland.

After leaving CBS-11 News; Purnell accepted a position as a consumer expert with the “Marti Griffin Show” on CBS-KRLD radio station in Arlington, Texas where he assisted in the investigative news production of the program.

Purnell also served as a freelance journalist for a local newspaper contributing articles on various issues of the day affecting the Dallas/Fort Worth community at large.

Purnell was a former member of the American Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section. Purnell was also a member of the Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity. Purnell was also a certified mediator and arbitrator.

Purnell also served on city Boards and served as Vice President of Brighter Tomorrow, a domestic violence organization.

Purnell also found time to complete three years of study at the Southern Bible Institute of Dallas.  He said that he had no aspirations of pursuing a divinity degree but wanted a deeper understanding of Biblical Doctrine.

To Cherish his memories, he leaves his wife Rosie Coleman Johnson, and three lovely children, son Purnell Johnson, Jr. (Chrystal) of Ft. Washington, MD, daughters Joanna M. (Johnson) Cypress (Keith) of Cheltenham MD and Denita R. (Slaughter) Oby (LaCarlton) of Allen, TX.  He leaves three brothers, Garfield Johnson (Theresa) Temple Hills, MD, Roland Johnson (Connie) of Killeen, TX, and Kenneth Johnson (Darlene) of Laurel, MD. He also leaves nine grandchildren with loving memories of granddad/Papa Purnell.

A private internment will be held at Dallas-Ft. Worth National Cemetery.  A memorial service to celebrate Purnell’s life will be held later when it is safe for family ad friends to gather and share hugs.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or American Cancer Fund.