Dorothy Johnson papers

Dorothy E. Johnson, prominent educator and nursing theorist was born in Savannah, Georgia on August 21, 1919. She attended Armstrong Junior College, Savannah, GA from 1936-1938. In 1942 Johnson graduated from Vanderbilt University with a BSN. At Vanderbilt she was the outstanding student in her class and received the Founder's Medal. After graduation she joined the faculty of the Nursing School at Vanderbilt. In 1948 she received the MA/MPH from Harvard University. From Harvard she went to UCLA and remained there for the rest of her career. Dorothy Johnson published widely during her career in academic nursing. She is considered among the outstanding nurse theorists of the 20th century. After her retirement from UCLA in 1979 Dorothy Johnson moved to the Florida coast to pursue her hobby of the study of sea shells. She remained active in retirement as a speaker and advocate for nursing education.She died on February 4 1999 in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. She was 80 years old.