St. Mark A.M.E. Church has a tradition of community leadership. Among the community leaders are the Johnson family, Mattie Trent, and Rev. Samuel A. McGill.
The Johnson family moved to Ross Avenue. They had the support of good friends but the obstacles that they faced from organized racism were truly frightening and spoke of a history in Wilkinsburg that is mostly unrecorded.
Irene Johnson played the piano and organ at St. Mark. Her husband Oliver Livingston Johnson was a pioneering lawyer who challenged racial barriers. He attended Harvard University but was drafted in World War I. He completed his law degree at the University of Texas. The Livingston family were life-long members of St. Mark A.M.E.
Two sons, Livingstone M. Johnson and Justin Johnson, became judges. On December 27, 2017, Livingston M. Johnson’s 90th birthday, Allegheny County issued a proclamation honoring his service. During the Korean War he flew 58 combat missions. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross. He served on the Court of Common Pleas from 1982 to 2007. His brother Justin Johnson became a major in the U.S. Air Force. Justin Johnson served on the Pennsylvania Superior Court from 1980 to 2007.
Mattie Trent, who lived on Glenn Avenue, was the First Vice-President of the Council of Churches of Wilkinsburg and Vicinity in 1970. She worked for the Pittsburgh Courier.
Mattie Trent, the Religious and Lifestyles editor of the Courier for more than 15 years began writing verse at an early age. Occasionally, some of her poetry was printed in the New Pittsburgh Courier. She sang in the gospel chorus, senior choir, taught adult Sunday school class, served on the Trustee Board at St. Mark Wilkinsburg and was a member of the St. James AME Lay Organization. Annually, The Mattie Trent Christian Talent Show is held in her honor. Trent served in many capacities until her death in 1987.
Historic Wilkinsburg 1887–1987 has a section called a “A Place in History.” Three people are named: James Kelly for 1887, Frank Conrad for 1937, and Rev. Samuel A. McGill for 1987.
Pastor of the St. Mark A.M.E. Church from 1960 to 1976, he drew the attention of the community by his compassion and concern for those in need and his efforts on their behalf. During the years of unrest, the sixties, he was the calming presence, the voice of reason to which the community responded with respect and affection. A man for his season.
Rev. McGill served as the first chaplain of the Wilkinsburg Community Ministry, an organization founded to bring people together.
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“Proclamation — Allegheny County.”
https://www.alleghenycounty.us/county-executive/proclamations/2017/12-27-17---judge-livingstone-johnson-s-90th-birthday.aspx
Kate Luce Angell, “Sibling judges inducted into first Wall of Fame in Wilkinsburg,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 14, 2010. https://www.post-gazette.com/local/east/2010/01/14/Sibling-judges-inducted-into-first-Wall-of-Fame-in-Wilkinsburg/stories/201001140418
“Courier to honor 50 stellar men including ‘The Brothers Johnson’ at MOE reception,” New Pittsburgh Courier, July 2, 2014.
https://newpittsburghcourier.com/2014/07/02/courier-to-honor-50-stellar-men-including-the-brothers-johnson-at-moe-reception/
Marjorie Michaux, editor-in-chief, Historic Wilkinsburg 1887–1987, One Hundred Years of Pride. Wilkinsburg Centennial Publication Committee, 1988, p. 56.
“Socially correct: On the shoulders of giants,” New Pittsburgh Courier, January 27, 2011.
https://newpittsburghcourier.com/2011/01/27/socially-correct-on-the-shoulders-of-giants/
“Trent, Mattie” ObitCity.com: Pennsylvania Obituaries T–Z.
http://www.obitcity.com/pennsylvaniatz.html
Linda Jennings and Elise Morris, compilers and editors, Wilkinsburg 1887&ndash2021: Celebrating the Past, Present and Future, Wilkinsburg Historical Society, 2012. Wilkinsburg Community Ministry: p. 114.
Wilkinsburg Public Library Digital Archives:
Directory for the Council of Churches of Wilkinsburg and Vicinity, 1970.