Rodney Johnson

October 3, 1948 - July 20, 2008

J. RODNEY JOHNSON Rodney Johnson was born on October 3, 1948 in Pulaski, TN and he passed away on July 14, 2008, at his home in Menlo Park, CA after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Preceded in death by his mother, Mary Smith Johnson, he is survived by his father, Julian Johnson, retired Pulaski businessman; his sister, Judy C. Johnson, retired Nashville attorney; very close family friend, Ann Felker White, Pulaski; and special friend, Anne-Marie Jumeau, Palo Alto, CA; as well as aunts, uncles, cousins, and many friends and colleagues. He graduated from Giles County High School, Pulaski, in 1966 and attended Emory University, Atlanta, participating in the Honors Program in American History and graduating with a B.A. magna cum laude in 1970. In 1973 he received his law degree from Columbia University School of Law, NY, where, based on his academic merit and writing ability he served as Associate Editor of the Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems. After law school he served as law clerk to Judge Elbert Tuttle of the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Atlanta. He then served as law clerk to Judge Frederick Hamley of the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, San Francisco. After his clerkships Rodney worked at a law firm in San Francisco while also serving as a member and secretary of the San Francisco Charter Commission, a 15-member body elected city-wide to revise the Charter of the City and County of San Francisco. In August 1980 he began his long career in the Office of the General Counsel at Stanford University, Stanford, CA. He worked in the business and finance group until transferring into the medical affairs group in 1984. There he had the responsibility for business and health care matters originating at the Stanford University Medical Center, including the School of Medicine, Faculty Practice Program, and Stanford University Hospital and Children's Hospital. He retired in July 2005. Although he continued working part-time for Stanford as an emeritus staff member, Rodney devoted more of his time to his mountain biking, snow skiing, listening to music, and reading as well as attending the Stanford Women's basketball games. Visitation will be 1 o'clock until 3 o'clock Sunday, July 20, 2008 at Bennett-May-Giles County Funeral Home. A graveside service will be held at Maplewood Cemetery in Pulaski on Sunday, July 20th at 3:30pm with Reverend Wayne Davis officiating. In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Giles County Public Library, First United Methodist Church, Pulaski, or to the pancreatic cancer research fund at the Stanford Cancer Center, attention Janice Flowers-Sonne, 2700 Sandhill Road, Menlo Park, CA, 94025 or other pancreatic cancer research organizations (see www.lustgarten.org and www.pancan.org).