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Description
Oral history interview with Illinois State Normal University alum Lowell Johnson, Class of 1939. The interview was conducted on November 3, 1979, by Denise Cook of the Alumni Services Office.
Johnson recalls that in 1939 the student body at ISU comprised approximately 1800 students. He notes significant physical changes to the campus between 1939 and 1979, such as the expansion of campus boundaries, growth in athletic complexes, and new buildings like the Student Union and Milner Library.
The interview covers Johnson's limited interactions with university administrators, mentioning President Raymond Fairchild, Dean Herman Schroeder, and others. Johnson's involvement in intramural sports, Senior Advisory Board, Gamma Phi Gymnastic Fraternity, and various other clubs are also detailed. He reminisces about taking dates to dances and the influence of big band music.
The interview touches on the impact of World War II, with Johnson recalling the war clouds over Europe closing out his college days. He discusses Normal and Bloomington, highlighting Bloomington as a "big city" compared to the peaceful country town of Normal. The interview concludes with Johnson sharing his experiences with cooperative housing.
Interview Date
11-3-1979
Index
- Introduction: 00:00-00:40
- Size of classes and student body: 00:40-01:11
- Changes to campus: 01:11-01:39
- Number of faculty: 01:39-02:07
- University administrators: 02:07-03:21
- Involvement in extracurricular and leisure activities: 03:21-04:48
- Notable faculty: 04:48-05:08
- Major news events: 05:08-05:51
- Bloomington-Normal: 05:54-06:16
- Student housing: 06:16-07:01
- Relations with Illinois Wesleyan University: 07:01-07:24
- Cooperative housing: 07:24-08:11
Biographical Statement
Lowell Merwin Johnson (1916-2005) was born to Gordon and Ella (Thompson) Johnson in Pontiac, Illinois. He graduated from Pontiac High School 1935 and earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Illinois State Normal University in 1939. For a short time before the entrance of the United States into World War II Johnson taught high school in Beecher, Illinois. From 1941-1945 he served in the armed forces. In 1942, while a staff sergeant in the medical corps at Camp Polk, Louisiana he married Eleanor Rankin, a fellow ISNU graduate, at Lovington, Illinois. At the time of his separation from the Air Force in December 1945 he had been promoted to the rank of captain. Johnson then went on to pursue a master’s degree at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, graduating in 1948. He served as an administrator in several Illinois districts during the remainder of his career, including principal of Leroy High School, superintendent of Grant Park schools (1950-1956), superintendent of the Clinton Community Unit School District (1956-1964), director of instruction for Urbana schools (1964-1968), and superintendent of Blue Island School District 218 (1968-1976). In 1965 he earned his doctorate in education from University of Illinois. Johnson retired in 1976 but returned to work for a short time as acting superintendent of Mt. Zion School District in 1979.
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Lowell Merwin, "Interview with Lowell Johnson, Class of 1939" (1939). Alumni Oral Histories. 17.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/aoh/17