Walter H. Johns (1959–1969)
Walter Hugh Johns was born in 1908 on a farm near Exeter, Ontario. He earned a BA (Honours) in Classics from the University of Western Ontario in 1930 and went on to study at Cornell University where he received a PhD in Classics and Ancient History in 1934.
Dr Johns began his teaching career in 1930 as a teaching fellow at Victoria College in Toronto. He then worked as a graduate instructor at Cornell University and a professor at Waterloo College. Johns joined the staff of the University of Alberta in 1938 as a lecturer in Classics.
Johns held numerous administrative positions at the University of Alberta, including Dean of Arts and Sciences from 1952 to 1957 and Vice-President from 1957 to 1959.
In 1959, Johns was appointed President of the University of Alberta. During his ten-year term, the University underwent unprecedented growth. The student population grew by two and a half times; the physical size of the campus tripled in size; and the number of full-time teachers quadrupled.
Dr Johns was not only dedicated to encouraging post-secondary studies at the University of Alberta, but he was also instrumental in establishing junior colleges in Lethbridge, Red Deer, Medicine Hat, and Grande Prairie.
Johns was also highly sought after as a speaker; he gave numerous speeches throughout Alberta. After retiring, Johns wrote an illustrated history of the University called A History of the University of Alberta 1908–69. Johns was also active in the wider community and sat on numerous committees, including the Humanities Association of Canada, the United Way, and the Council of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), of which he was president in 1966–1967.
In addition to receiving five honorary degrees, Johns also received the Alberta Achievement Award in 1977 and was appointed a member of the Alberta Order of Excellence in 1982. In 1978, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. Dr Johns passed away in 1985.