Johnnie Tillison
Johnnie Tillison was 16 years old and Black when he died on March 5, 1959, in a dormitory fire at the Arkansas Negro Boys Industrial School, a state reform school in Wrightsville, Pulaski County. He was one of 21 boys who died in the blaze. Officials attributed the deaths to the fire, and the Encyclopedia of Arkansas reports that the dormitory doors were locked from the outside. Johnnie is buried at Haven of Rest Cemetery in Little Rock, and in 2019 the Arkansas Department of Correction dedicated a memorial bearing the names of all 21 boys.
Cause of death, as reported: Died in an accident (neglect alleged). Officials attributed the death to a dormitory fire, and reports say the boys were locked in from the outside, which left them unable to escape.
Reported by: officials; news reports.