15th CALLERLAB Convention 
Milestone Award
Presented by Bob Osgood
It was July 13, 1950, on a balmy summer evening, that a young caller recently out of the Navy hesitantly climbed five wood steps, squeezed his way between fiddler and bass player and stood nervously beside the dignified, grey-haired gentleman who addressed the crown of more than 50,000. Words were always easy for Lloyd “Pappy” Shaw and this evening when he introduced the timid young caller the huge audience stood hushed. Finally, the words of the Introduction were almost completed and, as Shaw’s voice rose, you could sense the excitement in the crowd. “…And now, ladies and gentlemen, it’s with great pleasure that I bring you your next caller, a young man who is doing an outstanding job and whom I predict with go far in the world of square dancing, Bruce Johnson!” In the explosion of applause Bruce moved up to the microphone, signaled the piano to begin then delivered a long-to-be-remembered rendition of Alabama Jubilee.
This was not the beginning for Bruce who had been calling for several years but “Pappy’s” prediction was truly on-the-money, for in the years that followed, Bruce became one of the true leaders in the contemporary square dance world. A pioneer in this young activity he has called in virtually every state, in most Canadian provinces, in Japan and the Philippines, in Germany, and other countries overseas. He recorded on the Windsor, MacGregor and Scope labels and appeared several times on the annual Documentaries in Sound for The American Square Dance Society.
Playing a major role in caller leadership, Johnson was present at the Callers Think Tank at Steamboat Springs in 1961, on the staff of the UCLA sponsored Caller Leadership courses in the mid-1960’s and, as a member of the Square Dance Hall of Fame was one of the founding members of CALLERLAB in 1971.
Conducting callers schools and clinics, appearing on staff of many festivals, conventions and vacation institutes, he nevertheless over almost five decades maintained a full home club program and a year never went by without a class being started and completed. Bruce has proven, many times over, Lloyd Shaw’s prediction to be reality. Bruce has come a long way.