This week’s “Talk of the Rock” program. Memories of Doctor Bob Johnson.
The photo of Dr. Bob as a young man referred early in the program is below.
Full, edited interview with Nancy Kemp and Ginny Shank
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.
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 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.
Kodiak’s vibrant arts community, and the local auditorium, can trace a direct link back to Johnson.
