News        from ABAC

Michael D. Chason Director of Public Relations ABAC 30 -- 2802 Moore Highway Tifton, GA 31793-2601 Phone 229-391-5055 Fax 229-391-4781 mchason@abac.edu

IMMEDIATE MARCH 10, 2005

JOHNSON FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN EDITOR OF THE STALLION

TIFTON— Larius Johnson, a sophomore journalism major from Tifton, and this year’s Editor-in-Chief of The Stallion, has made history. Johnson is the first African-American editor of the campus paper.

Said Johnson, “It makes me feel good that I am the first, especially being from Tifton.”

But this isn’t the only first for Johnson. He is the first from his mother’s side of the family to attend college and upon graduation in the summer, will be the second ABAC alumnus in the family.

“My grandma and mom always tell me how proud they are of me for graduating from college,” Johnson said.

Before becoming editor of The Stallion, Johnson worked as Sports Editor for the paper. He was chosen for his position because of his experience.

“When people look at me they think ‘football player’ because of my size,” Johnson said. “They don’t think about me as a writer.”

Johnson works at least 25 hours a week for the campus paper and admits that sometimes it’s chaotic.

“The deadlines are the most challenging because you have to keep yourself and the staff organized,” he said. “If something goes wrong, it falls on your shoulders so there is some pressure there, too.”

Johnson has been in mass media since elementary school when he was part of the J.T. Reddick news staff.

“I was the technical director at Tift County High School after Reddick,” Johnson said. “I’ve always been into audio and video. Mass media just seems to follow me wherever I go.”

And it will continue to follow him to Valdosta State University where he plans to major in the realm of Communication or Broadcasting.

From there, he would like to pursue a career behind the scenes in the sports field and hopes to work for ESPN.

“That’s the big goal,” Johnson said.

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