Johnson: 50 years as a citizen of the University

In addition to his accomplished research career, D. Gale Johnson has contributed greatly to the governance of the University during his 50 years as a faculty member.

At a luncheon in his honor last week, colleagues praised him for his work as an administrator, which has included a term as Provost.

Johnson was Dean of the Social Sciences Division from 1960 to 1970, and he served twice as Chairman of Economics, from 1971 to 1975 and from 1980 to 1984. He also served as Acting Director of the University Library from 1971 to 1972 and as Vice President and Dean of Faculties in 1975.

From 1975 to 1980, Johnson was Provost. He helped found the Korean Studies Program in 1985, the same year that he became Director of the Economics Program in the College, which he currently co-chairs.

Johnson was Acting Director of the William Benton Fellowships Program in Broadcast Journalism in 1991-92, and he has been chairman of the program's faculty advisory committee since 1986.

"It has been one of the great blessings of my life to work with Gale Johnson," said John Callaway, Director of the Benton Program. "The William Benton program has benefited from Gale's tremendous institutional memory, which has helped us maintain important contacts with the faculty.

"He has also been an excellent model to the Benton Fellows -- he is a researcher whose scholarship is first-rate. Gale also has what could be called street wisdom. He knows what is going on in a wide variety of countries and areas and brings that knowledge to our discussions."

Johnson also has been a longtime member of the National Opinion Research Center's board of trustees. He served as vice president of that board from 1960 to 1962 and as president for two terms, from 1962 to 1975 and from 1979 to 1985.

He has been president of the South East Chicago Commission since 1980. The commission is a citizens' organization that works with residents and neighborhood groups to strengthen the Hyde Park-South Kenwood neighborhood as a stable, racially and economically integrated community.

-- W.H.