Roanoke College will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 27 because of extremely cold temperatures and lingering snow and ice.
Dr. Harry Johnson taught chemistry at Roanoke College for 25 years.
He was born in Hagerstown, Md., entered Roanoke in 1909, and earned the B.A. and M.A. degrees three years later. He obtained his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins in 1917. He was named professor of chemistry at Roanoke in 1920.
During his tenure, he developed one of the outstanding college chemistry departments in Virginia. Many Roanoke alumni who went on to practice medicine testified to Dr. Johnson's inspiring teaching.
He left Roanoke in 1945 to become project advisor for American Viscose Corporation and retired in 1956. He was visiting professor at Hampden-Sydney from 1957 to 1959.
Dr. Johnson was a founding member of the Blue Ridge Section of the American Chemical Society. He belonged to many distinguished professional societies.
He was a lay reader in the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Virginia for 40 years. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America and an honorary member of several local garden clubs. He maintained his loyal support of Roanoke College, as evidenced by his service as class agent for the Annual Fund for more than 20 years.
Harry I. Johnson received the Roanoke College Medal in 1975.