William L. "Bill" Johnson

1939 - 2011

Dr. William "Bill" Johnson, a long-time Whitworth University professor died on March 22, 2011 at his home in Anacortes Washington.

Born in Palo Alto, California in 1939, Johnson was the oldest of 5 siblings. He graduated from Palo Alto High School and enrolled at Whitworth College in Spokane in 1957. At Whitworth, he was a pre-med major and a member of the Whitworth track and field team. It was during these undergraduate years that Johnson developed two loves that would last a lifetime.

At Whitworth, he fell in love with Rachel Higgins from Hood River, Oregon; the two married in 1960. Also at Whitworth, Johnson took courses in psychology that kindled a career-long passion for the subject. This passion led Johnson to the University of Oregon in 1963 and both an MA and PhD in Experimental Psychology. Johnson returned to his Alma Mater in 1968 to begin a 30-year career as a beloved psychology professor and department chair for generations of Whitworth students.

A fixture in the Whitworth academic and athletic community, Johnson was Whitworth's faculty athletics representative to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). He also chaired NAIA's district 1, and served in prominent national roles with the NAIA including the National Coordinating Committee, National Executive Committee, and Council of Presidents. In honor of his career-long service, Johnson was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Salt Lake City, Utah 1995.

Johnson was also a life-long distance runner and mountaineer. He was a member of mountaineering clubs in Oregon and Washington and a key leader in the development of the Lilac Bloomsday Run. Johnson served as Director of the Bloomsday Run and was inducted into the Bloomsday Run Hall of Fame in 2000.

In addition to his teaching and athletic leadership interests, Johnson became licensed as a psychologist in 1984 and maintained a private clinical and consulting practice in north Spokane for 15 years with his wife Rachel - a well known Spokane psychotherapist.

Following his retirement from Whitworth in 1998, the Johnsons relocated to Anacortes where Bill remained an avid outdoorsman fishing, crabbing, and gardening.

Until his death, he was also active as a consultant and mentor to pastors. A long-time elder at Whitworth Presbyterian Church, Johnson authored a book for pastors titled, The Pastor's Guide to Psychological Disorders and Treatments. He was well known in the national community of Presbyterian pastors as a source of counsel and support.

Bill Johnson will be remembered as a beloved educator, mentor, clinician, and leader. Johnson's service touched nearly every aspect of the Spokane community.

He is survived by his wife Rachel, their two children Brad, a psychology professor at the U. S. Naval Academy in Annapolis Maryland, and Shannon, a Navy Commander and Clinical Psychologist in San Diego, California, 3 grandsons, and 4 siblings.

A private family gathering will be held. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in honor of Bill Johnson's life and service go directly to the Elder Training Initiative at Whitworth University, a program to promote the mentoring and development of church elders. For information on making a contribution, contact Scott McQuilkin at (509) 777-4386, smcquilkin@whitworth.edu.

Arrangements are in the care of Evans Funeral Chapel and Crematory, Inc., Anacortes, WA and the San Juan Islands. To share memories of Bill, please sign the online guest register at www.evanschapel.com.