Some of my Nicknames

Davy: Even though my name is "Charles David", it was never my parents' intention to call me "Charles". So everyone called me Davy until I was about seven years old. My high school golf coach, Richard Clark, also called me "Davy".

Dade: According to my brother Doug, he and my brother Steve, due to their inability to pronounce the "v" sound (or their unwillingness to do so), called me "Dade" until they were 4 or 5 years old. (Thanks to Doug for remembering.)

Brains: Please don't laugh. In sixth grade, I sat next to a very pretty girl named Candy Cain (yes, it's true), and I had a crush on her. I wrote her name in a little black book that I also used to store scientific facts, such as the distance from the earth to the moon, the mean Sidereal day, the mass of the electron, and other important facts. Well, I lost that book during a boy scout troup meeting out in the church yard, and guess who found it? That's right, Candy Cain. She brought it to me at school and asked why her name was written in it. After I was unable to give her a coherent answer, she started calling me "Brains", and there are some people from that class who still call me that.

Mayor: When I was in the 8th grade, I was elected student mayor of my home town, Ottawa, Illinois, by the 8th grade teachers of the two junior high schools. Somehow, the nickname stuck among members of Pine Hills Golf Club where I worked as a kid for ten years.

Jense: Bill Sipula, one year older than me, and youngest son of Mike Sipula, owner and Head Professional at Pine Hills Golf Club, was my favorite golfing buddy during my teenage years. This he called me more often than not. (Thanks to Doug for remembering.)

Karl: As a student of German in high school, I took the German name "Karl". My brother Steve sometimes still calls me this.

Dave C.: During my freshman year in high school, my parents suggested that I change my name to "David Charles Johnson". Though we didn't do that, many people think that "Charles" is my middle name, and still address letters to me as "Mr. Dave C. Johnson".

DC: There were two persons named "Dave Johnson" in my high school. The other "Dave Johnson" was sometimes called "AC", and I was "DC".

Frisco: I read the novel "Atlas Shrugged" in high school and identified with Francisco (or Frisco, for short) who was one of the main characters. Again, Steve still likes this nickname.

Chas the Spaz: Kevin Aicher saw motor deficits in my behavior where there were none. Surprisingly, we are still best friends to this day.

Chuck the Duck: This nickname is also due to Kevin. I think that he was jealous that I had both a first and middle name. By the way, Kevin's nickname is Rudy Muck, from which several nicknames can be derived. Rudy Muck was (or is?) the name of a fine trombone mouthpiece manufacturer, and Kevin played that instrument in the high school marching band.

Chuckles: Again from Kevin. Need I say more?

BB: My wife Dina affectionately called me this during our five year marriage. It was short for "Baby Boy".

Daddy Dave: My daughter Gail called me this for a time after Dina remarried.

David: While David is my middle name, most people call me "Dave". However, the name "David" acquired special significance for me, as a term of endearment, in the hands of a few, very close friends. They know who they are.

The Mild-Mannered Dave Johnson (TMMDJ): Staci tells me that I gave myself this nickname when she lived with me in Austin, but I don't remember that. Anyway, though I don't consider myself either mild or mannered, she still introduces me to her friends in this way.

Boo: We called my youngest brother Boo Boo. But John Bernadino called me Boo when I was a kid, and Lynn affectionately called me Boo.

Tall Coke Back: Before some of the waitresses at Tangerine's knew my name, they attached this label to me. I don't drink alcohol and will usually order a Coke. After they got to know me, they would give me a large or "Tall" coke, often with cherries. The term "back" indicates that the waitress should not be charged for the drink by the bartender. This is customarily done for customers who order alcohol and a soft drink on the side. Since I was a VIP customer, this was their way of giving me the Coca Cola for free.

Cookie Man: Diana and I became friends when she sent out email to everyone in the department asking for help with assembly language programming for a class that she was taking in the graduate school, and I responded. So every week, I answered her questions in exchange for cookies. She would bake me a batch of cookies every week, and her husband would fight for the best ones, before she brought them to school. So I became the Cookie Man.

The Slamma: The CNS department bought a ping pong table (in 1996) and we had the first single elimination tournament shortly thereafter. Someone (I think it was Lars) erased my last name in the tournament roster and wrote "The Slamma" in its place. Whether or not I am one can only be discovered by playing against me!