Jack Bass

The 1994 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award was presented to Jack Bass for Taming the Storm: The Life and Times of Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr. and the South’s Fight Over Civil Rights.

In Taming the Storm, Jack Bass tells the story of Judge Frank Johnson, an unsung hero of the Civil Rights Movement. A native Alabamian, Johnson ruled in favor of civil rights activists in cases concerning bus segregation, school integration, and voting rights. For these courageous stands, Johnson saw his mother’s house bombed and earned the scorn of Alabama Governor George Wallace, a law school friend. Johnson’s life is a true profile in courage, and Bass tells his story with grace and power.