Dawson Allen Johnson

Passed in peace on May 19, 2015. Originally from New Orleans, LA; born May 13, 1927. After both parents passed by the age of thirteen, his paternal Aunt (Elinor Johnson of Washington DC) assumed guardianship of him and his three older sisters. Finding strength through education, Johnson was a 1951 University of Maryland, Business Administration Graduate & former U.S. Marine Corps Captain, graduating 22nd in a class of 994-Officer Candidate Course. Dawson Allen Johnson, a Ft Lauderdale resident since 1954. First working as a pool-attendant, lifeguard, and swimming instructor for the Lago Mar Hotel. Eventually starting Pace Pools as a one man maintenance company, he progressed quickly & built a small warehouse in 1956. He gradually acquired eleven additional lots & after several building expansions, created the Fort Lauderdale Headquarters for Pace Pools and four other affiliated companies. Pace Pools became Florida's largest pool company & one of the ten largest in the U.S. thirteen years later. Building some six hundred pools a year, he saw continued success from the invention of a revolutionary pool filter& pool forming system. Johnson was able to partner with & have an exclusive arrangement with forty other pool builders in the U.S. & Canada. While successfully running Pace Pools, Johnson had greater aspirations; planning to build a club that centered around his love for the game of squash. Around 1972, with the help of investors he was able to build a $1.2 mm "Private Sporting Place" named The Players Club. The original structure still stands with some interior modifications @ 1299 E Oakland Park Blvd. The Club catered to the community as a social gathering place around lunch & dinnertime in the two-hundred seat restaurant. The sundecks, two lighted tennis courts, pool, or any of the five squash courts provided continuous entertainment & fun for members. After stepping down as President of Pace Pools, Johnson invested his interest in Real Estate owning as many as sixty-five units under Prudential Properties, a real-estate investment and management company he actively headed until just before his passing. For the last twenty-five years he has run weekly Real Estate Meetings geared toward helping newcomer's develop the necessary skills to be successful in the South Florida Real Estate Market. Every Thursday @ noon, the meeting will take place @ Denny's on Oakland Park Blvd just east of I-95. Johnson is survived by his immediate family of three sons and ex-wife Beverly Ann Johnson (63), Bradford William Ashley (57), Dawson Allen Johnson Jr. (26), Earl Michael Johnson (23), Oscar William Ashley; grandson (26), A. William Hennig; nephew of Castro Valley, CA (69), & Elsie Allen Hennig; niece of Arlington, VA. The Celebration of Life will be held in Ft Lauderdale, FL on Saturday June 20, 2015. Contact members of the Johnson Family for confirmation and location details. (954) 604-0688 (954) 536-8521