Owen V. Johnson

Owen V. Johnson, 76, a retired Indiana University professor who trained hundreds of students to be professional journalists around the world, died Aug. 6 of natural causes. He was a lifelong collector of facts and stories, and loved using them to make connections between the people he met all over the world. Johnson was born February 22, 1946 in Madison, Wisc., to Verner and Marianne Johnson. He grew up in Pullman, Wash., where he fostered a lifelong interest in journalism as editor of his high school newspaper and sports editor for the Pullman Herald. He worked at KWSC Radio and TV while attending Washington State University, where he earned a B.A. in history. He received an M.A. and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan with a certificate in Russian and East European Studies. After teaching for a year at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, he joined the Ernie Pyle School of Journalism at IU in 1980. He taught a variety of journalism and history courses. He loved to engage with his students as fellow learners, and delighted to support them and celebrate their accomplishments when they left his classroom. He was a favorite professor of many. Elected to leadership positions in several academic organizations, Johnson also held administrative positions at IU and had visiting professor appointments to several foreign universities. When he retired from IU in 2014 and was granted emeritus status, he continued to research, write and make public and scholarly presentations. Johnson wrote prolifically on a variety of topics, including a book on World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle, and another on education in Slovakia during the interwar period. More than 37 scholarly publications in North America and Europe published his work, plus he created dozens of articles, letters and programs for more general audiences such as National Public Radio, the New York Times, and local public radio. He appeared in one episode of PBS’ History Detectives series about Ernie Pyle, and managed a Facebook page for the Friends of Ernie Pyle on which he posted daily quotes written by the author. Johnson loved to travel. He visited more than two dozen countries, and all 50 states. On his first trip to Sweden in 1967 he met Marta Kučerová of Czechoslovakia. They married two years later and she became the mother of their daughters, Eva and Hana. They later divorced. He then married and divorced Ann Tryon. He enjoyed collegiate athletics and professional baseball and attended countless games. He served as an announcer for IU Swimming & Diving, and was deeply invested in that community. He shared his love of sports with his daughters, and together they visited as many Major and Minor League Baseball stadiums as they could. He was a member and ruling elder of First Presbyterian Church in Bloomington, and served as recording clerk for the Presbytery of Ohio Valley. He joined the Bloomington Rotary Club in 2015 and was a devoted Rotarian. Johnson was preceded in death by his parents, and by his older brother, Dean Johnson. He is survived by his two daughters, Eva Johnson and Hana Johnson Elliott (Layne); grandsons Connor and Colin; a brother Kyle Jansson; and thousands of worldwide supporters and practitioners of free and independent journalism. Memorial services will be held on August 15th at 12pm, at First Presbyterian Church in Bloomington, with a reception to follow. The family suggests donations to First Presbyterian Church or to the Friends of Ernie Pyle. Allen Funeral Home and Crematory, 4155 South Old State Road 37, Bloomington, have been entrusted with arrangements. Online condolences, photos and memories may be shared with family and friends at www.allencares.com

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Owen V. Johnson

February 22, 1946 - August 6, 2022