Dr. Harry S. B. Johnson served and advanced Augustana College in a challenging range of responsibilities. His call to the college — to teach Classical and Biblical Greek — came in 1942.
By the time he died in 1976, "Dean Harry" had taught as a professor of Greek and of Swedish, reestablished and chaired the Department of Classics, coached tennis, provided support and guidance as the dean of men, and found time to be the coordinator of public events.
This range of talent, learning and devotion to the mission of the college was presaged in his distinguished record of study and preparation: the A.B. summa cum laude from Augustana College, the B.D. summa cum laude from the Augustana Theological Seminary, his service in the parish ministry, and his election to Phi Beta Kappa.
In his memory, Dr. Johnson's family established an endowment to underwrite innovation and enrichment in the Augustana Classics program. The effects of their generosity, like the work of Dr. Johnson himself, will be evident throughout each academic year, for classes now and for those yet to come.
The endowment funds visiting speakers from the annual Archaeological Institute of America speaker, and the college's annual Classics in the New Millennium speaker series. It supports the student group Collegia Classica, and provides institutional memberships to the American School of Classical Studies in Athens and the Classical Association of the Middle West and South, as well as individual student and contingent faculty memberships to the AIA.
The Johnson Endowment also helps to fund a Classics banquet for majors, minors, and prospective students and end-of-term dinners, and allows the department to recognize Classics honorees with honor cords and certificates at commencement.
Carly Davis's poem "Seattle Song" won the 24th annual Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award at Augustana.
Kaitlin Jacobson's poem "crooked smile"” won the 23rd annual Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award at Augustana.
Kira Banks '23 came to Augustana to study biology and public health and, as often happens at a liberal arts school, discovered a passion for a seemingly unrelated major — Classics. Read about her recent award.
This Archaeological Institute of America lecture, titled "Augustus' War against Antony and Cleopatra as Seen through the Coins," is presented by Dr. Roberta Stewart of Dartmouth College.
This year's Antiquity in the New Millennium lecture will be presented by Dr. Clara Bosak-Schroeder from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The lecture is titled "Disability and Enslavement in Ancient Rome."
This event is sponsored by the Classics department.
