Albert C. Johnston
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Albert C. Johnston (born 1900/1901 – June 23, 1988) was a doctor who, along with his family, passed as white in Gorham and then Keene, New Hampshire. William Lindsay White wrote a '' Reader's Digest'' article about the family and a short book was published from it in 1948. In 1949 a film adapted from the book about the family was released. Both the film and book were titled ''
Lost Boundaries ''Lost Boundaries'' is a 1949 American film starring Beatrice Pearson, Mel Ferrer (in his first leading role), and Susan Douglas Rubeš. Directed by Alfred L. Werker, it is based on William Lindsay White's story of the same title, a nonfiction ...
'' and were based on the family's experiences. In 1989 a follow-up film, ''Lost Boundaries Reunion'' was made with interviews of family members. Johnston was from Chicago and studied at
Rust College Rust College is a private historically black college in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Founded in 1866, it is the second-oldest private college in the state. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, it is one of ten historically black colleges ...
. He interned at
Maine General Hospital Maine Medical Center (commonly abbreviated to ''MMC'' or contracted to ''Maine Med'') is a 700-licensed-bed teaching hospital in Portland, Maine, United States. Affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine, it is located in the Western P ...
. Johnston had trouble finding work but was eventually able to secure employment as a doctor by passing as white. He was a country doctor and radiologist in Gorham and Keene, New Hampshire. He entered the Navy as a commissioned officer but the offer was rescinded. He eventually uncovered that the decision was a result of his ethnic background. His son, Albert C. Johnston Jr., one of four children, composed music including songs used in the film about the family. After working in Keene until the mid-1960s, Johnston Sr moved to the island of Kauai and worked as a radiologist at Wilcox Memorial Hospital; he died at the age of 87 at Castle Medical Center after being treated for chest congestion. He was buried in Keene. Except for supporting cast members, white actors were used for the film. The film was banned in Atlanta and Memphis. A high school student wrote about Johnston and his home in 2001. In 2013, Stanford University professor Allyson Hobbs wrote about the Johnstons and their passing in her book ''A Chosen Exile: A History of Racial Passing ''.


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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Albert C. Year of birth missing 1988 deaths African Americans in New Hampshire