Mary Johnston, a professor of home economics at Whitworth from 1941 to 1961 and the wife of former Whitworth chemistry professor Hugh Johnston, died Aug. 9 at the age of 91. She earned her B.S. and M.A. degrees from the University of Washington and her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin.
Johnston, who, says Whitworth President Bill Robinson, was "smart, really smart," was chair of the Whitworth Home Economics Department for several years; she took a leave of absence to teach at Beirut College for Women, in Lebanon. After a return stint at Whitworth, she accepted an appointment as a consultant to the home-economics department of Allahabad Agricultural Institute, in India; the position was supported by the Presbyterian Church (USA), for which Johnston was a key promoter of mission work, serving on the missions committee at Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church while she was a ruling elder there.
Johnston was selected one of the country's top 10 home economists by the American Home Economics Association. She also served as president of the Washington Home Economics Association, which honored her as its Home Economist of the Year.
In her later years, Johnston and her husband volunteered often in the Whitworth Archives. Archivist Janet Hauck says of her, "As a former faculty member, Mary had a knowledge of Whitworth's past that was invaluable in her work. Her expertise and her gentle smile will be greatly missed."
Robinson concurs. "Mary Johnston was among the most gracious people ever to walk the Whitworth campus," he says. "Her warmth and kindness blessed us all. We'll miss her immensely."
Johnston is survived by her husband, Hugh, by one sister, and by numerous nieces and nephews and their children.
Associate Professor Emeritus Bob Lacerte died of heart and kidney disease Aug. 13. He had coronary bypass surgery in 2006 and was undergoing dialysis and awaiting angioplasty in the hospital at the time of his death. Lacerte, a professor and reference librarian at Whitworth from 1978 until his retirement in 1999, was a graduate of Merrimack College and Case Western Reserve University. Director of the Library Hans Bynagle says of his former colleague, "Bob is remembered especially for building and giving leadership to the Whitworth Library Instruction Program. That effort was enhanced by his own considerable credentials as a scholar. A historian with specialties in Latin America and Haiti, Bob was for some time in the 1980s and early '90s – when those areas were much in the news – possibly the most in-demand Whitworth faculty speaker before civic groups, churches, and other community organizations." Lacerte leaves no survivors.
Geraldine "Gerrie" Lindaman died July 31. A longtime friend of the university, she was the widow of former Whitworth president Edward Lindaman, who served from 1970 to 1980 and died in 1982. She was active in community service as a Sunday-school teacher, a PTA president, a Girl Scout leader, and an elder and deacon in the Presbyterian Church. She was also a board member for the YWCA and the Hanford Education Action League and a member of PEO and the Whitworth Auxiliary. "Gerrie loved Whitworth and Whitworth loved her," says Whitworth President Bill Robinson. "She contributed richly to this institution in many ways, and she spoke often of her joy in being a part of the Whitworth community." She is survived by four children and two grandchildren.
Joyce De Jong, wife of former Whitworth University president Arthur De Jong, died Nov. 12. The De Jongs served the Whitworth community from 1988-92.
A memorial service was held Nov. 12 in Black Mountain, N.C., where the De Jongs have lived for the past 15 years.
"The De Jongs served faithfully and effectively during a challenging period of Whitworth's history," says Whitworth President Bill Robinson. "I met them more than 20 years ago and admired the strong and quiet way Joyce added to Art's effectiveness at both Whitworth and Muskingham College, where Art served as president for 11 years before Whitworth."
De Jong is survived by her husband and their five children.
Leah J. Lynch, a member of Whitworth's library staff for 37 years, died in June in Yakima, Wash. She was 94. Lynch was married to Wesley P. Lynch, U.S. Army, in 1942, prior to his deployment to Europe during World War II. After the war, the Lynches settled in Spokane to raise their family, and Leah came to Whitworth in 1951. She was an active member of Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church and the Spokane Garden Club, and she served as a docent at Spokane's Campbell House. Remembered as a dear and loyal friend to her Whitworth colleagues and to the students of her era (1951-88), Lynch left her mark on the university. "Two things stood out most clearly about Leah as a staff member and co-worker," says Director of the Library Hans Bynagle. "First, her bright and fun-loving spirit, and second her dependability. She was not, of course, the only one with a smile and a sense of humor. But who could possibly match that unique twinkle of Leah's? And Leah was famous for her dependability: She was someone you could count on." Lynch survived by a daughter, a son, two grandchildren, and two step-grandchildren.
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