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Denison honors Johnson family and Texoma Community Foundation with 'Moving Forward and Giving Back' awards
Summary
At its Aug. 18 meeting, the Denison City Council presented the Moving Forward and Giving Back awards to the Johnson family, Texoma Community Foundation, and former Mayor Jared Johnson in recognition of development and philanthropic work tied to the Texoma Foundation Park project.
Denison City Council presented its 2025 "Moving Forward and Giving Back" awards to the Johnson family, the Texoma Community Foundation and former Mayor Jared Johnson at the council meeting on Aug. 18, 2025.
The awards recognize residents and organizations that the council says have made “a significant contribution to or have had a positive impact on the citizens of the community,” according to Resolution No. 3887, the council-adopted policy creating the award.
Mayor opened the presentation by describing the Johnson family’s role in property development along U.S. Highway 75 and their involvement in land transactions that led to the location of a hospital and related growth on the northeast and northwest corners of FM 691 and U.S. 75. Jared Johnson, who served as mayor of Denison when the park project began and who served on the foundation’s board, described the public–private effort to build the amenity. He said the city, foundation and developer combined resources so “the Denison taxpayer was able to get a $17,000,000 amenity at that time for $4,000,000 of taxpayer dollars.”
Jared Johnson said the project was intended as a long-lasting recreational facility with an emphasis on health and wellness, not merely additional ballfields. He credited the partnership of local taxpayers, the foundation and the developer in making the project possible and noted the foundation’s annual payments had helped retire a decade of debt. The mayor noted that Michelle Lemming of the Texoma Community Foundation delivered the foundation’s 10th and final annual payment earlier in 2025, prompting the ceremony.
The council read Resolution No. 3887 into the record during the presentation. The resolution, adopted in January 2016 and attested in the minutes by Carrie Jones as city secretary, establishes the award, its criteria and the council’s authority to present it at a public meeting.
The council presented framed resolutions and other tokens to Tom and Peggy Johnson and to representatives of the Texoma Community Foundation. The meeting proceeded to regular business after the presentation.
