Dr. Bill Johnson was born on the Oakwood College campus where both his mother, Margaret, and his father, Louis, were professors of English and chemistry, respectively.

He spent his formative years roaming the rolling hills of Pine Forge Academy in Pennsylvania, discovering nature — bugs, snakes and frogs. His father gave him a chemistry set, with which he successfully created rockets and numerous other explosive devices that shook the foundations of the Pine Forge community.

From these humble beginnings, a keen interest in the sciences developed. Johnson graduated from Pacific Union College in 1966 with degrees in mathematics and physics, and married his wife, Leanor, that same year.

Johnson joined the Teacher Corps as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's higher education act and War on Poverty program. Through this program, he concurrently obtained a master's degree in mathematics and taught math to Appalachian children in East Tennessee.

In the first three weeks of their marriage, the Johnsons lived in their car, since no one in East Tennessee was willing to rent a house to black people. After President Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act, housing became easier to obtain.

While serving in the Teacher Corps, Johnson discovered that prejudice was not confined to color. The principal of his high school refused Bill's request to replace the torn, worn, more than 10-year-old math books that had to be shared between two or more students. The young principal felt that Appalachian children could not learn, thus why waste tax payers' money.

This motivated Johnson to spend every waking hour writing a mathematics text for his students. Upon completion, his text became the most significant contribution of the Teacher Corps that year.

At the conclusion of his two-year commitment, the Johnsons decided to pursue their Ph.D. degrees at Purdue University — Bill in mathematics and Leanor in family sociology.

After successfully completing his comprehensive exams and writing his dissertation, Johnson had a spiritual epiphany. He decided that although mathematics brought him personal joy, he wanted to be of greater service to mankind through public health or medicine. Thus, he began a move from math to medicine, which he has adopted as a profession. He is a graduate of George Washington University School of Medicine.

The Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix, Ariz., where Johnson works is a 450-bed major teaching hospital with a 100-plus year history. Annually, physicians working at the Maricopa Medical Center are reviewed for their professional contribution to their patients and to the community in general.

In 2008, the Maricopa Integrated Health System selected Johnson to receive its 2008 Physician of the Year award. Johnson is chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and medical director of Perioperative Services.

Betsey Bayless, chief executive officer and Arizona’s 17th Secretary of State, says, "Dr. Johnson has increased our level of anesthesia coverage and our operating room efficiency through his leadership role in perioperative services. He is a wonderful mentor who is always willing to share his knowledge and ideas on how to improve patient care. Dr. Johnson’s dedication to health care is a great example of the exceptional physicians and nurses at the Maricopa Medical Center, and a reminder of how they make a difference in lives of their patients every day."

Another colleague, Dr. Daniel Caruso, director of the Burn and Trauma Center and surgical intensive care unit, says of Johnson, "The first attributes that come to mind when thinking, writing or speaking about Bill Johnson: always the professional, always gracious, always the gentleman. I wish we had about 1,000 more Bill Johnsons at Maricopa. He is a great man."

The Johnsons are members of the Phoenix Camelback Seventh-day Adventist Church. They have three sons and one granddaughter.

credit: Pacific Union Recorder