She arrived when Stanislaus State shared classroom space with turkeys at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds in 1960, and while she thought her stay as an English professor for the University would be temporary, Lola Johnson remained for 46 years and left a lasting impact.
Johnson, who died in July at 92, was the last founding faculty member to retire when she departed in 2006, a Presidential Medal of Distinction Hung around her neck.