Paul Howard Johnson

Old Lyme - Paul Howard Johnson, 88, passed away peacefully on July 31, 2012, at his home in Old Lyme.

He was born Jan. 30, 1924, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Frederick George and Adelaide Johnson and was raised in Queens, N.Y.

Paul enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943. He served in the 15th Air Force in Italy during World War II as a B-24 bombardier until he was wounded during a mission, earning a Purple Heart. He was also awarded the Air Medal for combat, and the Soldiers Medal for heroism. Following his military service he enrolled in Yale University where he earned a bachelor's degree in English Literature in 1949. He was recalled to active duty in the Air Force during the Korean conflict in 1951. Paul remained in the Air Force Reserves, retiring in 1984, at the rank of major.

Following Korea, he continued his post-graduate education, obtaining master's degrees in English at Columbia University in 1954, and library science at the University of Michigan in 1956. His career as a librarian began at the Library of Congress and in 1958, he was appointed Head of Undergraduate Libraries at Yale University. In 1962, he assumed the position of Librarian of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, a post he held until his retirement in 1989. While at the Academy he was instrumental in creating the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Museum.

Paul enjoyed good books, good friends, good food and good music. He loved his home in Old Lyme, designed by the Yale architect, King-lui Wu and named an Architectural Record House of the Year in 1966.

Paul is survived by his brother, David Johnson of Asheville, N.C.; and three adoring nieces, Elizabeth Kostova of Asheville, Jessica Honigberg of Washington, D.C., and Victoria Johnson of Ann Arbor, Mich.

Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library, 2 Library Lane, Old Lyme, CT 06371.