Roy C. (Bud) Johns

July 9, 1929 - February 15, 2019

Roy Clinton “Bud” Johns, Jr. was an American writer, editor, author and publisher who was influential in environmental and progressive causes throughout the second half of the 20th century and early 21st. He is known in the sports world as founder of Ride and Tie.

Raised in a series of small Michigan towns, Johns began his newspaper career as a regional correspondent for the daily Flint Journal. While still in high school he moved to Flint and worked at the Flint Sporting Digest and then the Journal. He enrolled at Albion College, working his way through as a reporter for the Albion Evening Recorder, weekly sports columnist for the Journal and other Michigan newspapers, waiting tables for his meals and officiating at high school ballgames. Albion named him a Distinguished Alumnus in 1999.

After college Johns served in the Marine Corps,1951-1953, reaching the rank of staff sergeant. During that time he participated in 1952 A-bomb tests. In 1953 Johns was a reporter for the Flint Journal mainly covering politics. He left the Journal for a brief stint with the San Diego Union, joining Fairchild Publications in1960 and becoming its San Francisco bureau chief the next year. He went to Levi Strauss & Co. as public relations director in 1969, becoming Director of Corporate Communications in 1970 and later being elected Corporate Vice President. In 1971 Johns founded, with Levi’s sponsorship, the sport of Ride and Tie. Johns had been charged with finding “a distinctive sports event” for Levi’s to sponsor. He recalled reading about the old custom of two people sharing a single horse on a journey by alternately riding and tying the horse; he transformed it into a sport for runners and riders. Johns directed the championship race its first 14 years and advocated establishment of the event elsewhere. In 1983 there were an estimated 350 R&T races in the U.S. and abroad.

Johns’ publishing career began in 1954 when he and Flint Journal colleague William D. Chase co-founded Apple Tree Press. In 1968 Johns founded Synergistic Press which published an eclectic list focusing on nonfiction, primarily biography and art. He was a director and part owner of Applewood Books, New Bedford, MA. He produced and wrote the script for a halfhour TV film on Ride & Tie and was executive producer of “The Best They Can Be,” a Clio award-winning TV program on the 1980 Summer Olympics.

As a freelancer Johns wrote numerous magazine and newspaper articles. His books include The Ombibulous Mr. Mencken, What Is This Madness?, and Old Dogs Remembered. Board memberships included Greenbelt Alliance, (President 1990-1994); Documentary Research, Inc., Buffalo, NY; San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, (President, 1996-1998); Stern Grove Festival Association; Rodeo Advisory Committee of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association; Western States Trails Foundation; and Tamarind Institute of Lithography. He was a member of the National Council of the Museum of the American Indian. Johns and his wife were generous donors of art from their collection to Washington’s Corcoran Gallery of Art.

Johns was married to the artist Judith Spector Clancy until her death in 1990. In 1992 he married writer Fran Moreland Johns. Survivors include step-children Skip Fossett (Jill,) Sandy Strong (Paul) and Pam Wilson; and five step-grandchildren. A memorial celebration will be held on Saturday, April 27 from 2 to 5 PM at Calvary Presbyterian Church, San Francisco. The family suggests contributions to Calvary, Greenbelt Alliance or the charity of your choice.