Dr. John Robert Johnson

Dr. John R. Johnson, a distinguished scholar, educator, and Marine Corps veteran, passed away peacefully at his home in Studio City, California on November 14, 2024, due to symptoms of atherosclerosis. He was 79 years old. Dr. Johnson's exceptional life of service is cherished by many generations of colleagues, students, and families in Los Angeles, St. Louis, and New York.

Raised in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Dr. Johnson moved west in 1963 to attend UCLA, where he received bachelor's and master's degrees in history. Following service in Da Nang as a Personnel Administration Chief during the Vietnam War, Dr. Johnson completed his doctoral degree at UCLA in Greek and Roman history. He worked as a research scholar and instructor in the Department of Classics and History at UCLA until 1981. Alongside his teaching at UCLA, Dr. Johnson joined the faculty of Harvard-Westlake School in 1976. In the subsequent years, he assumed greater responsibilities at Harvard-Westlake as a class dean, department chair, and the school's Director of Studies. Dr. Johnson's love for teaching remained unwavering throughout his career, even as he took on these significant administrative roles.

In 1981, Dr. Johnson left California for his native Missouri to serve as Headmaster of Saint Louis Country Day School. His leadership played a pivotal role in forming the coeducational Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School (MICDS) in 1993. As the inaugural head of MICDS, Dr. Johnson united two distinct and deeply rooted educational traditions into a singular institution. His colleagues remember him as a "true Renaissance man," noted for his fairness, respect towards faculty, and his visionary approach in managing the complex merger of two storied schools. Dr. Johnson's leadership enabled MICDS to flourish as a nationally prominent independent school.

Dr. Johnson then returned to California in 1993 where he served for four years as Director of UCLA Summer Sessions. He taught ancient and modern European History, and also chaired the university's International Programs Committee. He worked closely with universities in South Korea to build mutual academic and professional relationships.

In 1997, Dr. Johnson accepted the position of Headmaster at Riverdale Country School in New York City, where he served for a decade. At Riverdale, Dr. Johnson revitalized the school's campuses. The school flourished, and the John R. Johnson Student Center was built and named in his honor. His tenure then culminated with the celebration of Riverdale's centennial year in 2007. Dr. Johnson's leadership made Riverdale one of New York City's most respected and a model of what a "country day school" should be for the nation.

Dr. Johnson concluded his career in California by teaching history at Harvard-Westlake until 2014.

During his retirement, Dr. Johnson remained an active presence in the lives of his colleagues and former students, always eager to share his insights and support. He spent many hours as a connoisseur of classic Hollywood cinema, especially film noir. Dr. Johnson also dedicated himself to historical research and curated one of the finest collections of World War I artifacts in the United States. He recently donated 1,200 World War I posters, books, pamphlets, paintings, and associated objects to the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City. He also wrote a related scholarly monograph entitled, Your King and Country Need You: A Commentary on British and British Imperial Recruiting Posters of the First World War. Dr. Johnson further maintained an exquisite trove of miniature soldiers representing all eras of history. His great sense of art, architecture, and history made his home a veritable museum.

Dr. Johnson embodied the values of "A Man for All Seasons"-a scholar, a humanist, and a servant leader. His legacy will endure in the institutions he shaped, the students he inspired, and the communities he enriched. He cared deeply for those under his care, as demonstrated by his devotion to his beloved cocker spaniels-Augie, Pompey, and Julia. Dr. Johnson is survived by his nieces Julie Iunker, Janet Johnson, and Diane Johnson and her husband Laszlo Viranyi, and by nephews Jeff Johnson and Robert Johnson. Everyone touched by "Uncle John" and "Dr. J" will be forever grateful for the extraordinary joy he brought into their lives.

A Requiem Mass in celebration of the life of Dr. John R. Johnson will take place at All Saints' Episcopal Church, 504 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills, California, on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. PST.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift in memory of Dr. Johnson to the "Special Collections Initiative" at the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri. (https://www.theworldwar.org/join-give)

Reminiscences and photographs may be sent to drjohnrjohnsonmemorial@gmail.com. A website (http://www.drjohnrjohnsonmemorial.com) includes further information.

In the first half of 2025, further celebrations of Dr. Johnson's life will take place in New York and St. Louis. The estate intends to inter Dr. Johnson's remains with Marine Corps Funeral Honors in Jasper, Missouri, so that he may rest in peace with his mother and father.