Born 52 years later than he would’ve liked, music-loving Dylan A. Johnson graced us with his presence on August 5th, 2000, in Watertown, SD. Dylan, the son of Natalie Reitman, is an only child, and a senior at Madison High School. As Dylan has moved around from state to state, including Iowa, Texas, and others, he could never really call anywhere home- until he came to Madison.
Dylan came to Madison for good when he was in 8th grade. In school, Dylan has made many friends with his very bubbly and kind personality. Throughout Dylan’s high school career, he described it resembling an EKG, with many ups and downs, but all-around steady. Dylan’s advice to younger students is to “follow your dreams, but choose your dreams wisely”. The one class that Dylan thought benefited his future the most was the auto shop class with Mr. Kesteloot and Mr. Fritz. This class enhanced his love and knowledge of cars- one of Dylan’s most favored hobbies. If Dylan could have any car in the world, it would be an all-original, 8-cylinder, moss green 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback-GT. Dylan is very passionate about cars and loves learning about them.
Along with cars, Dylan is also very, very passionate about music. Dylan’s favorite band is the Beatles. His love of the Beatles influenced his love of music and encouraged him to start playing guitar. Dylan is a skilled bass player who one day hopes to start a band called the Silver Beetles and become famous. Dylan uses his bass skills in his church, where he plays for the members. With his love of the Beatles, if Dylan could live anywhere for a year, he would choose to live in Liverpool, London because it is where the Beatles grew up and the beautiful scenery. Dylan would say that Eric Clapton would best describe him because they are alike in ways such as their love of music and only having one parent.
Along with Dylan’s passion for cars and music, he also prides himself on learning new things and gaining knowledge of different aspects. When asked what superpower he would like to have, Dylan chose the ability to have a solid memory so he can remember details better. If Dylan was able to play any character, he would choose Gandolf the Gray/White because he has a lot of knowledge but also has faults. Dylan is already good with memory with skills including picking up notes by ear and being a talented mechanic.
In addition to being talented, Dylan is also very kind. He loves going to church and spending time with his mom. When asked what he would do with $5 million, Dylan responded that he would give $500 to his church, $4 million to charities such as environmental cleanup and protection, health research, and St. Jude's Children’s Hospital, and the rest of the money to his mom.
Although Dylan doesn’t have a cell phone or computer, he likes to watch the tv shows Castle, Have Gun - Will Travel, and the original Star Trek series. Dylan’s favorite food is rice because “you can make almost anything with it. It can be simple or you can add spices, meat, or sauce to make it a meal.” Dylan would like to be a contestant on the Price is Right because he believes he could get all the right prices and win some cool stuff.
Dylan doesn’t have a plan for next year yet but is thinking about traveling and working, then going to a tech school. When asked where he sees himself in 10 years, he said: “I don’t plan for the future - I focus on the present.” What a way to live!