The Warrior Day tradition, established in 1962 during the University’s second academic year, stands out in the many fond memories of Johnson. She was one of the CSU Stanislaus founding faculty in 1960 and established the record for years of service during her 47-year career. Johnson said she enjoyed joining in on the Warrior Day activities with other faculty, staff, administrators, and students for a day of fun that always featured plenty of funny moments.

“We had a professor in the Music Department named Giovanni Camajani who always dressed really sharp, with the fancy suits and sleeve garters, who was pitching in a softball game that day,” Johnson said. “I can still see him out there trying to get the ball over the plate and students trying to hit his pitches that were all over the place.”

“Through the years there were tears, but there was also lots of laughter,” Johnson said. “I still miss going to class and working with students.”