Former Va AP newsman Johnson dies at 92

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Wheatley Marshall Johnson, who spent 34 years as a reporter and editor for The Associated Press in Virginia and much of his retirement using microfilm and newspaper stories to research the history of high school basketball and football in the state, has died. He was 92.

Johnson's son Michael says his father died Wednesday night in hospice care at Retreat Doctor's Hospital in Richmond from complications of double pneumonia.

Known throughout the state for his research, Johnson was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and the Virginia High School Hall of Fame.

A native of Manassas and graduate of Washington & Lee, Johnson also served in World War II as a navigator, flying 55 missions and reaching the rank of captain.

He joined the AP in 1949.