Press, politics, and perseverance

The Press of Kells in Newark, Delaware, was a product of the dreams and work of Everett C. Johnson, orator, scholar, teacher, and statesman and an almost forgotten man in Delaware history. Inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, he established what was for a time considered to be the finest print shop in the State of Delaware. The fortress-like stone building that was home to the Newark Post still stands, and at the time of this writing the lively hometown paper is celebrating its ninetieth year. His editorials kept the citizens of Newark well informed. He offered his paper as a forum to all who wished to express their opinions in a responsible way. Extremely patriotic, he served two years as State Representative and four years as Secretary of State, encompassing World War I. Suffering from ill health most of his life, this frail man persevered in his efforts to raise the living and educational standards of all Delawarians. Considered the state's foremost orator, he often delivered speeches with such force that he received standing ovations and then had to be helped, exhausted, from the stage. His punishing work schedule sometimes left him bedridden over the weekend in order to build up enough strength to make it through the following week. Sadly, his life was cut short at the age of forty-eight, depriving the State of Delaware of one of its most progressive and dedicated visionaries.