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George Williams College of Aurora University Honors Distinguished Alumni, Lyle K. Johnson
10/21/2008
WILLIAMS BAY, Wis., Oct. 21, 2008 George Williams College of Aurora University hosted their second annual Coming Home Alumni Reunion Friday, Oct. 10 through Sunday, Oct. 12. As part of the reunion activities, the George Williams College Distinguished Alumni Award was presented to Lyle K. Johnson of Minneapolis, Minn.
Johnson received a bachelors degree in educational recreation from the University of Wisconsin, a masters degree in group work and community organization from Springfield College and a doctorate degree in educational psychology from the University of Minnesota. He continued his education at George Williams College where he received a masters degree in social work in family treatment and medical social work in 1979.
His career path took him to the Minneapolis YMCA where he was community program secretary for four years and was responsible for adolescent programming, community conference work, day camp and resident camp supervision, fund raising and lay committee work. Johnson then applied his skills as Director of Camp Iduhapi from 1959 to 1966 where he was responsible for staff training, supervision and program planning.
For the next 19 years, Johnson was a dedicated George Williams College professor of behavioral science, teaching graduate courses in human behavior and social environment, and research. He also served as assistant director of the division of social work education.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Johnson was also a consultant, trainer and director of educational programs in a variety of YMCAs including the Great Lakes Region, St. Paul, and Cleveland. He consulted for non-profit groups such as Illinois Cooperative Youth Outreach Program, the Freeport School System, and the Chicago Chapter of American Camping Association.
When Johnson retired from GWC in 1985, he became a human ecology liaison at the Minneapolis Childrens Medical Center to continue his teaching, consulting and research.
George Williams College Distinguished Alumni Awards were also given to Albert Smith, Pembroke Pines, Fla., GWC M.S. 63 and former president of Florida Memorial University, and Ernest R. Jenkins of Chicago, Ill., GWC M.S.W. 72 and former vice president for community development for the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago.
Aurora University is an inclusive community dedicated to the transformative power of learning. Approximately 4,000 degree-seeking students are enrolled each year on the universitys Illinois and Wisconsin campuses, and the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association to award degrees at the baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral levels. The George Williams College campus offers 14 academic programs, unique conference facilities, an 18-hole golf course, and is home to Music by the Lake and other education and enrichment programs.
For more information on George Williams College, visit www.aurora.edu/gwc or call 262-245-5531.
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