KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Dr. Bob Johnson passed away on Friday, Jan. 31. He leaves behind his wife of nearly 70 years, four sons, and eight grandchildren.
But he also leaves behind his ‘Kodiak family’—the many hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people who feel a strong connection to Johnson because he played some role in their lives.
From delivering babies to saving lives as a doctor, to philanthropic work and countless hours donated to local civic organizations and non-profits, Johnson was a key person in much of Kodiak’s community life for many decades.
Kodiak’s vibrant arts community, and the local auditorium, can trace a direct link back to Johnson.
Click arrow below to listen to conversation about Dr. Bob Johnson between Kodiak Arts Council Director Katie Oliver and KMXT’s Maggie Wall. Or read transcriptions, below.
WALL: “Katie Oliver, you are the executive director of the Arts Council. And, Dr. Bob was a big active part of the arts in Kodiak, everything. I mean, everything. The man seemed like he could do just about everything. And for many, many years, he did do just about everything related to art, or so it seemed.
“And so, what do you know about Dr. Bob? And what do you know about him personally, directly, and then what other people have told you since you’ve been working at the Arts Council?”
OLIVER: “Well, Dr. Bob was a true champion of the arts and a true believer in the power of the arts to transform people’s lives. He was both a talented musician, and a devoted arts patron.
“I think many people know of his work with the cry of the wild RAM, which was an incubator program for the start of the Kodiak Arts Council.”
“He was a fierce advocate for Kodiak’s need for a state-of-the-art Performing Arts facility, which we have, of course, that we now know is the Gerald C. Wilson Auditorium that served our community since 1986.
“And he was, you know, a leader in many respects in Kodiak and the arts benefited from his energy and attention.”WALL: “Is it safe to say that the arts as we know it in Kodiak wouldn’t exist if it had not been for him? He was like, the driver of so much for so long.”
OLIVER: “Yeah, he was a founding member of the Arts Council. You know, it’s hard to speculate what could have been in his absence, but certainly a lot of what we have we owe to his energy and his championing.
WALL: “Have you heard, Katie, from anyone, if they called you, made any comments about what they’re thinking right now?
OLIVER: “I have had folks come into the office that, you know, reminisce and share stories, and make sure that the current staff at the Arts Council know about his role in our origins and in our ability to produce work in the auditorium.
“So certainly people are coming in and sharing stories and talking about Dr. Bob.”
Dr. Bob was born on Christmas Day 1925. He moved to Kodiak in 1938 with his father Dr. A. Holmes Johnson and his mother Fostina, who was a registered nurse. His father was Kodiak’s first resident doctor.
Johnson was graduated from the University of Washington Medical School in 1954, interned at Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, and returned to Kodiak in 1955 to practice with his father at the A. Holmes Clinic, which was located near downtown on Upper Mill Bay Road.
Johnson continued the practice after his father’s death, and retired from medicine in 1994.
Thanks to the Kodiak History Museum for materials on Dr. Bob’s medical career.
