Johns (Vernon E.) Family Papers

The Vernon E. Johns family papers collection relates to the family history of CSUDH alumnus Vernon E. Johns, specifically, his parents Harold Johns and Margaret “Betty” Weiskopf Johns, maternal grandfather Charles Weiskopf, and paternal grandmother Millen Johns.

Charles Weiskopf was born January 24, 1884 in Cincinnati, Ohio and moved to California in 1910 after his graduation from Ohio Mechanics Institute. He applied for the patent on his “Resilient Wheel,” on June 26, 1911, which was issued three years later on June 16, 1914. The objective of his invention was to provide a cheap, strong, effective wheel that would be non-puncturable and thus safer for drivers. Charles and Amy Weiskopf were married in Los Angeles on May 14, 1914 and had three daughters, June, Beatrice, and Margaret. The family moved to the City of Hawthorne in 1921, where they remained deeply involved in the community until they moved in 1941. Charles received his engineering certificate from the State of California Board of Registration for Civil Engineers on May 20, 1930, making him the first to receive this certificate in California. He eventually retired in June of 1954 from the Western Precipitation Corporation.

Vernon E. Johns’ mother Margaret “Betty” Weiskopf Johns grew up and attended school in the City of Hawthorne. She graduated from UCLA, receiving her degree in education on February 2, 1938. After being certified to teach, she taught at Little Lake School in Santa Fe Springs. Her tenure as the school’s first Kindergarten teacher began on July 6, 1939 and lasted many years. Margaret taught in the demonstration school at UC Berkeley where she soon met and married Harold V. Johns. They were parents to three sons, David (who passed away in infancy), Gordon, and Vernon.

Harold V. Johns grew up in Berkeley, CA, and graduated from Berkeley High School in 1935. In 1940 he graduated from UC Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in Geology and a minor in Engineering. After graduation he interviewed with North American Aviation (NAA) using his drafting skills from college. He was directed to report to the NAA in Los Angeles to start work towards the war effort on December 11th, 1941. Initially, the NAA placed Harold in wind tunnel and model testing design where his focus was on various vehicles and materials. He later worked on fighter jet designs such as the XB-70 supersonic bomber, B-24, B-25, and the F-100. In the 1960s, he transitioned to working for the space effort, working as the lead engineer on the command module for the Apollo 11 mission. He continued to work on spacecraft development through the 1970s, assisting in the construction of the International Space Station. Harold Johns retired in 1975 while working on the Space Shuttle Columbia.