Mr. Chris Johnson

Mr. Johnson touched many lives in his 22 years as a French teacher and on-campus faculty member at Dana Hall. He was a devoted, kind-hearted teacher who showed genuine interest in his students and advisees as well as those he knew from the dorms, the soccer field, and even the salad bar. In his classes, he shared his love of everything French; he kept his students up to date about current French music and other details of la vie quotidienne actuelle, current daily life in France and other French-speaking cultures. Mr. Johnson never tired of the intricacies of the French language, with its sometimes logical, sometimes idiosyncratic structures. And it was impossible to know him without learning about Jeanne d’Arc, whom he loved with a passion; he even made a documentary about her while on sabbatical. The month of May was always Jeanne d’Arc month in Mr. Johnson’s classes.

As a colleague, Mr. Johnson was the steady rock of the World Languages department. He went out of his way to help new faculty members feel at home, always showing genuine interest in the well-being and growth of those around him. He was also known as the humorist who made his colleagues either laugh or groan. As a lifelong film enthusiast, Mr. Johnson could entertain his colleagues by describing exact point-of- view shots or reciting crucial lines of dialogue in his favorite films. Colleagues also enjoyed hearing about his many other interests, including World Cup soccer, the Olympics, ice hockey, the San Francisco Giants, le Tour de France, Le Mans, all things Star Wars, vexillology, ’80’s rock music, The Three Stooges in Spanish – and les religieuses, a cream-filled French pastry that is named after nuns.

Mr. Johnson brought energy and enthusiasm to his coaching of ice hockey and soccer. It was so characteristically Mr. Johnson to regularly show the movie Invictus to his teams; he experienced intense passions across many fields of interest, but they were all connected for him, and he wanted everyone to live and play with passion, too.

Above all, Mr. Johnson radiated love and pride in his family. He was especially well known around school for his enthusiastic marketing of his daughter Charlotte’s Girl Scout cookies. He talked with joy about going on Scout overnight camping trips with his son, Matthew. And his eyes lit up whenever he talked about the love of his life, his wife, Shannon.

Que la Force soit avec vous, Monsieur Johnson. May the Force be with you, always.

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