Dedication is a word that is sometimes overused.
That’s not the case when you speak about Cal Johnson and his work with Mary Lanning Healthcare and the Mary Lanning Trust.
Mr. Johnson is being honored in July as he retires as a Mary Lanning Trust board member. He stepped down as a Mary Lanning Healthcare Board of Trustees member in 2015.
The Mary Lanning Trust was established in 1918. It primarily holds real estate property and invests personal property for charitable purposes. Income from the trust provides annual assistance to Mary Lanning Healthcare operations and Sunnyside, Inc. for grants.
Mr. Johnson’s long-standing career in construction, land development, building materials and real estate in the region gave him insights that were invaluable to the trust and MLH.
He served on the MLH Board of Trustees from 1990-2015.
When he retired from the Board of Trustees, Cal Johnson said: “My father set a good example for me. The MLH Board of Trustees is a rather small board with only seven members. As I grew up in Hastings and became an adult, I knew most all of the trustees. As William Lanning stated in the bylaws when he founded the hospital, board members are expected to serve out of a labor of love. I guess that was an inspiration for me to serve.”
Many construction projects were accomplished during Mr. Johnson’s tenure. These include:
- 1994: Construction of the Medical Services Building on the Mary Lanning campus.
- 1999: The demolition of the remaining original Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital building, and the construction of the Outpatient Surgery Center on the south and the ER expansion on the north. (The Millennium Project)
- 1998: Construction of the Home Away From Home hospitality house.
- 2004: Construction of the Morrison Cancer Center.
- 2007: Construction of the Hastings Imaging Center.
- 2008: The Century Project began. The project involved the expansion of the surgery center, renovation of the patient floors and expansion of the north tower. It was completed in 2011.
The cost of all of these projects combined was around $60 million.
“I formed very good friendships as the result of being a board member,” Mr. Johnson said. “The hospital is one of the more important institutions in any community.”
Thank you, Cal Johnson, for your dedication to your hospital, the Mary Lanning Trust and the community. We wish you well!