The College is very sad to announce the death of alumnus and Emeritus Fellow Bill Johnson, who has died at the age of 82.
Bill came to Magdalen as a Rhodes Scholar from Natal, South Africa, where he studied for a BPhil in Politics between 1964 and 1967. After a short stint at the University of East Anglia, he returned to Magdalen as Fellow and Tutor in Politics and Sociology, a position he held from 1969 to 1995. During this time, he also served as Senior Bursar from 1980 to 1982.
Having been involved in the anti-apartheid struggle in his youth, Bill returned to South Africa in 1995 to fulfil that lifelong commitment. He was Director of the Helen Suzman Foundation in Johannesburg from 1995 to 2001.
Bill wrote extensively on South African history and politics, as well as a memoir of his time at Magdalen, Look Back in Laughter. He was also a freelance writer, contributing to publications including The Sunday Times and the London Review of Books.
Bill was a hugely important figure in the history of Magdalen, and we send our condolences to his family and friends.
The College is flying the flag at half-mast in his memory.
Former Economics Fellow, the late Derek Robinson, wrote a short piece about Bill on his retirement in the 1995 Record. Here are a few extracts:
Bill Johnson was immediately senior to me as a Fellow, being elected a few weeks before me in 1969. We got to know each other outside of work. PPE was a powerful part of the College with one of the best examination results in the University and Bill was a strong member of the teaching team.
I remember attending President’s Collections, which in those days covered every undergraduate every term, except for examinations, and being immensely impressed by the personal knowledge Bill had of all his students. He recalled details of what they said in tutorials from the first term to their final year.
Bill has always been a Magdalen man. The College is important to him and he is part of it and made a truly significant contribution to its well-being
There is an extremely impressive list of old Magdalen members now engaged in political, economic, and financial journalism as a result of Bill’s help and encouragement.