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With a former principal of the junior high school named in his honor leading the way, the Kingsburg City Council adopted a resolution honoring him. Newly elected Mayor Laura North told several stories about Johnson, who some call âThe Worldâs Greatest Athlete.â
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With no members of the public present due to the pandemic, the council and city officials heard words of praise for Johnson from a State Senator.
Here is the text of the Resolution, without the Whereas:
 On Dec. 2, 2020, one of Kingsburgâs most distinguished hometown heroes, Rafer Lewis Johnson, passed away at 86. He was a 1960 Olympic gold medalist in the Decathlon, after getting silver in 1956 and a gold in a 1955 Pan American games. At the 1960 Rome Olympics, Johnson was the US teams flag bearer, the first Black American to do so. Mr. Johnson also lit the Olympic Flame when the Olympics came to Los Angeles in 1984.