Alumni Spotlight: Joan Johnson Class of ’78, B.A. in Political Science Joan Johnson began college in 1972, when she was in her forties. A child of the Great Depression, Joan came from a family in which education was seen as important for boys but not for girls. So Joan went to work after high school. She married in 1951 and started a family. Although she had been active in school and community affairs, the women’s rights movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s opened new horizons for Joan. “You had this feeling, ‘What am I going to do with the rest of my life?’” Joan’s answer was to attend college. Joan set her sights on Portland State University because it was reasonable and convenient. She worried that she would “stick out like a sore thumb” as a student of a non-traditional age, but she quickly noticed the variety of people and ages on campus. “There was such a diversity of students—even then. That is what’s so wonderful about Portland State,” she says. Joan attended PSU as a part-time student, worked part-time, and raised three kids with her husband Robert. As a part-time student and a commuter, she didn’t spend much time on campus outside of her classes. “I was just so amazed to be going here,” Joan says. Looking back now, she recalls how different the campus looked—it was mainly Cramer, Lincoln, Smith and Neuberger halls in her time—and how much it has expanded since then. The Park Blocks remain a constant and important campus feature for Joan. “We’re so lucky to have the Park Blocks.” Joan had hoped to study journalism, but unfortunately PSU did not offer that major. Political science was a natural replacement. Joan’s interest in political science stemmed from growing up in a home where politics were always a topic of conversation, especially with her dad. While at PSU, Joan managed a few campaigns, including two for her close friend Nancy Ryles. Two professors at PSU left a lasting impression on Joan during her time as a student. Ralph Bunche, a political science professor, taught a Current American Problems class and focused much of his time on civil rights, an area of great concern to Joan. Hugo Maynard, an “inspirational” psychology professor took an unconventional teaching approach when he instructed his students, including Joan, to read a book about weeds, pick a species of weed, and observe it in its natural habitat. He asked students to keep a journal detailing what they saw, a technique designed to teach students to pay attention to the world around them. Following her graduation from PSU, Joan worked in the state legislature and later as a freelance writer for various clients and trade papers. She joined the Alumni Board In 1993 and was an active PSU Advocate for many years. In 2002 Joan received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. The degree was an honor that commemorated her important legacy at Portland State. Joan Johnson circa 1978.
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