Summer 2006 Alumnae Quarterly Web Extra
Web Extra: Tributes to Recently Deceased MHC Faculty
Memories of the late Richard A. Johnson
It was with great sadness that I read of the passing of Professor Richard A. Johnson. I remember the shock I felt as a freshman when he informed his students in Intro. to English Lit. that he did not as a policy grade students’ initial papers because to do so would be too discouraging for them. Papers were returned awash in his red marker to a collective groan from his students. It was real wake-up call from high school English and at times disheartening and intimidating. Ultimately and surprisingly, I opted to spend a second consecutive semester with Professor Johnson, and that year was inarguably the most valuable year of my entire college experience. To say he taught me to be a better writer doesn’t really tell the story. He taught me how to be coherent, persuasive and critical. He impressed upon me that writing well was a skill that would be important for the rest of my college life and well beyond.
I have thought of Professor Johnson a thousand times since graduation — when writing graduate school assignments, resumes, business correspondence in my position as Library Director, committee reports, editorials, and even emails and notes to kids’ teachers. In the end, however, Professor Johnson taught more than writing. He imparted in me, and I am sure in countless other students, a confidence that comes from knowing we could argue for what we believe and persevere through the seemingly impossible. He was, in the end, a teacher who prepared his students for the rest of their lives, and that is almost a fairytale ending.
I forward my deepest sympathies to Professor Johnson’s family. His loss is a great one to the Mount Holyoke College community.
– Mary Fullam Schubart ’88
