Born: Sept. 2, 1925 Died: Oct. 31, 1998

Background: A 1943 Christian Brothers High School graduate, Johnson joined the Navy and served two years in the Pacific theater aboard the USS Alnitah - where he got the nickname "Shakey." In 1954, he and college friend Ed Plummer each put in $850 and rented a defunct mom-and-pop grocery store at 57th and J streets to open a neighborhood draft beer place. They later added pizza, using a recipe Mr. Johnson knew from his childhood. As business increased, the partners soon added a room to their establishment that sold only pizza. They advertised it as a "pizza parlor." Johnson retired in 1967 and sold his share of the company. The original east Sacramento site was operated as Shakey's Pizza until 1996, when a fire shut it down.

A highlight: Johnson also contributed to the popularity of the banjo by hiring banjo pickers and other musicians to entertain customers. In 2000, he was enshrined in Banjo Hall of Fame in Guthrie, Okla.