2021 Gumbo final - Book - Page 94
94
remembering dean
martin johnson
M
odest, kind, generous, approachable — those are
just a few of the words used to describe Manship
Dean Martin Johnson. Johnson, 50, died of a
heart attack in his sleep the night of Sept. 28.
Since his appointment as dean of the Manship School two
years ago, students and faculty alike said he made himself
available and demonstrated genuine interest in their lives.
Mass communications professor Will Mari said Johnson was
an “in-the-trenches, hands-on leader who put others first.”
“As the person who offered me the chance to work at a
research university and who believed in my potential, Dr.
Johnson will always be someone I seek to emulate and be
like,” Mari said.
Mass communications senior Justin Franklin said Johnson
served as a resource and a mentor for all the extracurricular
activities within Manship, whether it was finding the funds
for Franklin’s study abroad trip, helping advance Mock Trial
or revamping LSU’s National Association of Black Journalists
(NABJ). Franklin said NABJ, which was formerly known as
the Association of Black Communicators, had fallen into “a
season of nothing” before Johnson came along.
“He was so committed to the vision that we had for the
club and he was so committed to seeing Black students
comfortable, seeing Black students excel, and seeing Black
students have a place in the Manship School,” Franklin said.
Political science and mass communications professor
Nathan Kalmoe said when Johnson was a Reveille editor in
the ‘90s, he partnered with Southern University to produce
a joint weekly issue because he valued greater collaboration
between the schools.
“Local white business owners threatened to pull their
ads from the Reveille because they didn’t want newspaper
integration, but Martin didn’t back down,” Kalmoe said.
Kalmoe said Johnson was a generous and caring mentor
and friend. He said he was doing great things for the
Manship School and beyond with his leadership.
“I hope we can somehow realize his vision without him to
guide us,” Kalmoe said. “We owe that to him. I will miss him
terribly.”
When mass communications junior Kayla Hamilton
heard the news of Johnson’s passing, she contributed to a
makeshift memorial on the front steps of the journalism
building complete with flowers and a letter.
“As soon as I heard the news I had to do something,”
Hamilton said. “I just wanted to show some gratitude.”
Johnson was the first Manship administrator Hamilton
encountered when she came to campus for a freshman
admittance event.
“Dean Johnson, thank you for the change, impact and
knowledge you’ve given Manship,” Hamilton’s note read.
“You have touched each student and faculty and will never
be forgotten. Rest easy, you’ll be missed.”
Mass communications professor Roxanne Dill said
Johnson was invested in his students’ and faculty’s success,
which was made evident through the time he spent holding
frequent office hours and listening to concerns.
“He was the dean; he was in charge,” Dill said. “But he
used his position to serve the people around him. We should
all learn from that important legacy he leaves us at the
Manship school.”
LSU alumnus Joshua Jackson credits Johnson with his
achievements in the communication field.
“Without Martin, I [wouldn’t] have my current job or my
master’s degree from the Manship School,” Jackson said. “I
owe him basically the last four years of my life.”
Jackson said the thing that inspired him most about
Johnson was his commitment to people.
“Even as dean, he would have things that were far more
important to do, but I’d see him checking on the faculty and
staff,” Jackson said. “I’d catch him talking to students in the
[Holiday] Forum. He’d email me just to check in and if I had
an idea, we’d talk about how to make it happen.”
Mass communications graduate student James Smith said
Johnson always remembered his students.
“This isn’t very common in a school as large as LSU,” Smith
said. “He cared, genuinely. He exemplified the values that
make the Manship School more than a school. He made it
clear that we’re a family.”
Franklin said when he thinks of Johnson, a Martin Luther
King Jr. quote comes to mind: “The ultimate measure of a
man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and
convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and
controversy.”
“I’ll say for Dean Johnson, he made everybody’s
challenges and trials his own,” Franklin said. “It was never,
‘What can you do for me?’ It was always, ‘How can Manship
help? What can Manship do? What can I do?’
“This wouldn’t hurt this bad if he wasn’t such a good
person,” Franklin said. “This wouldn’t hurt so bad if he wasn’t
the kind man of wisdom that he was, and it came as such a
shock. It will take time for healing ,and it will take time to fill
the hole that’s been left.”