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The Eads Johnson Jr. Cup
     Yale Lightweight Team Captain 1934
         Commander, USNR 1934 - 1953
      To Be Competed For Annually by the
 Varsity One Hundred and Fifty Pound Crews
Yale University and the U.S. Naval Academy

Eads Johnson Jr. '34
Yale Lightweight Team Captain 1934
Commander, USNR 1934-1953

At the age of 92, Eads Johnson Jr. may feel like he isn't "getting any younger,"
but one thing's for certain…his memory of the Yale 150-lb. Crew and the
US Naval Reserved is definitely intact!

Eads' rowing career began in 1927 when he enrolled at Kent School in
Connecticut. He spent four years on the team and captained his 3rd, 4th,
and 5th form crews before going to the Henley Royal Regatta in the Varsity
boat in 1930.

Eads continued rowing at Yale University from 1930-1934 on the 150-lb. crew.
During his four years there, one on Yale's Freshman crew and the other three
in the Varsity, he only lost one race…"on this side of the Atlantic." In June 1933,
Eads went back to Henley as the assistant coach for Kent School. When he
returned to Yale his senior year as captain of the 150-lb. crew, Eads,
along with his teammate Benoni Truslow, decided that the 1934 'fifties
were going to make Yale history and head to Henley.' They would be
the first Yale crew of the 20th century to go. After much difficulty convincing
the university, Eads and his crew finally got permission to make the trip as the
Yale University Boat Club.

The trip took eight days to cross the Atlantic on the "Rotterdam", and the
members of one four and one eight maintained their fitness by rowing on the gamut
machines and running around the deck. The entire trip, for 18 people, cost
$3576.86 compared to a typical $35,000 trip for teams traveling to Henley
today. Eads' crew moved through the first two duals only to come up against
the Thames Rowing Club, averaging 15-20 pounds heavier and 6-10 years older,
who ultimately won the Thames Challenge Cup. Although their competition
in the regatta was over, the Henley experience created a bond that the crew
shared for many years. They reunited every five years (except in 1944 due to
WWII) to fit in a row, and they returned to Henley in 1969 (35th reunion),
1979 (45th reunion), and 1984 (50th reunion). The 1934 'fifties were later
honored with a lightweight boat to remember them by, "Henley '34", and
unbeknownst to Eads, his name and rank as Captain of the crew were
included under the coxswain's seat.

Eads' Naval career began at Yale University in the Naval ROTC program.
As a senior, he was Battalion Commander of roughly 300 Yale ROTC students.
In 1934, Eads graduated with a BS in Engineering and was commissioned as
an Ensign in the Navy. In March 1942, he was called into active duty as
a communications officer just months before the attack on Pearl Harbor.
He was assigned to an attack cargo ship, the USS Hamul, which headed to
Iceland to relieve the British.

In December 1942, the USS Hamul was converted to a Destroyer Tender.
Eads was one of the few officers who stayed with the ship as a Gunnery Officer
and re-engineered the vessel, including a redesign of the torpedo room.

After January 1, 1945, Eads Johnson Jr. headed to the Pacific. As a Lt. Cmdr, his ship
went to Saipan as the only tender for a fleet of 650 ships. This tour also took him to
Iwo Jima, Ulysse and Okinawa. In June 1945, Johnson became the Convoy Commander
for the North Typhoon Sortee, in charge of leading 55 ships to safety through
the islands as a storm bore down on them. By December 13, 1945, Johnson
had obtained enough points to be relieved of h is command and sent home Air
One Priority. Johnson arrived home on December 23, 1945, only to find that
he had been promoted to Commander one month prior.

In 1939, Eads married Jane Cook, and for 58 wonderful years
of marriage, he shared his Henley Reunions and Navy stories with her until her
passing in 1997. Together, they have three children, 10 grandchildren, and 13
great-grandchildren.

As a devout Yale alumnus and decorated naval officer, there couldn't be a
better figure than Eads Johnson Jr. to represent an annual lightweight crew
race between Yale and Navy.

_________________________________________________________________

Johnson Cup       March 28, 2009       Lake Carnegie, NJ

Johnson Cup       April 4, 2008        Lake Carnegie, NJ

Johnson Cup       March 31, 2007        Lake Carnegie, NJ

Johnson Cup       April 1, 2006        Mercer Lake, NJ

Johnson Cup       April 2, 2005        Mercer Lake, NJ

Johnson Cup       April 3, 2004       Mercer Lake, NJ