Dr. Richard A. Johnson, a lifelong naturalist, was born in Cumberland, Maryland in 1937. He was a graduate of Allegany High School, Princeton University, and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He served seven years in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. He and his wife Barbara had three children: two daughters and one son, Marta, Wendy, and Chris.
Dr. Johnson's three passions - family, medicine, and birding - led him back to his hometown where he established a successful orthopedic surgery practice and continued his exploration of the Appalachian Wilderness. During the twenty years he practiced medicine in western Maryland, he cam to be respected and loved not only by his patients, but also by the many outdoor and civic groups who frequented his slide shows, presentations, and guided hikes. His photography chronicled the beauty of the Allegany landscape and its diverse flora and fauna. He died of cancer on December 22, 1990, at the age of 53.
Dr. Johnson joined the Appalachian Laboratory Board of Visitors in 1988 and served as a member of the Executive Committee until his death. As a Board member, he directed the Foreign Student Support Program for international students participating in the graduate education programs of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and Frostburg State University.
A scholarship fund has been set up within the Frostburg State University Foundation in Dr. Johnson's name. The scholarship will aid foreign biology students who come to Frostburg to be trained in wildlife, fisheries, forestry, and/or biology on the graduate level. These students, upon returning to their respective countries, will reenter the administrative or university posts they occupied prior to coming to the United States. One of Dr. Johnson's dreams was to see each student received the necessary orientation to western Maryland, which would help them understand our economic, social, political, and environmental issues. Dick believed these activities would help the students as much as the more formal educational activities to which they were exposed.
