Memoidal Address—John Butler Johnson. 685 
quently urged upon his students the desirability of utilizing 
every opportunity for extending their horizons while in col¬ 
lege. He had great faith in young men and believed thor¬ 
oughly in the policy of placing upon them a large measure of 
responsibility. His influence with his students was due in no 
small measure to this attitude of confidence in them, together 
with a readiness to aid them, with words of encouragement and 
advice. 
Professor C. M. Woodward, a colleague of Professor John¬ 
son for many years, says of him, “As a teacher Professor John¬ 
son was sympathetic, painstaking, progressive, and very 
thorough. He was never content with what he did last year. 
He never found it possible to repeat an old lecture. Study 
and experience added largely to his value, and his students are 
most emphatic in their praise of his influence upon their lives, 
both technically and morally. The ‘Professor’ had a whole¬ 
some disrespect for mere authority. His mind was pre-emi¬ 
nently free from prejudice and always rational. He was a 
hard worker and his students learned to work hard with him. 
Whether in the class room or in the field, he was indefatigable.” 
While, first of all, an inspiring teacher, Professor Johnson 
was also deeply interested in all that contributed to the welfare 
of society. He was a member of many engineering and other 
societies and in all these his activity and helpfulness were al¬ 
most remarkable. In the church he was equally active and in 
all worthy enterprises of the community was always ready to 
lend a hand. He was exceedingly optimistic and his mind was 
full of plans and projects. While not always successful in 
these plans, he never had time to worry over failures; he lived 
in the future, never in the past. It seems most unfortunate 
that a man should be taken away in the prime of life with such 
great promise for future work; and yet it was in one sense, as 
he would have wished,—that as long as he lived he would be 
able to do with vigor his full part in society. His loss is felt 
by a very wide circle of friends and by many interests, but by 
none more keenly than his students and the younger generation 
of engineers to whom he was an inspiration and guide. 
