Dr. Jerry W. Johnson

Dr. Jerry Wright Johnson, 81, passed away at home surrounded by the love of his family and close friends on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, at 1:08 p.m. Funeral services will be held at the First Baptist Church of Waco at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 11. A graveside service and interment will immediately follow at Oakwood Cemetery in Waco. A visitation will be held for friends and family at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Monday, May 10. Jerry was born in Palestine, Texas, on Sept. 4, 1939, to Harry and Mabel Wright Johnson. He grew up in Palestine and graduated from Palestine High School in 1958. At Palestine High School he was active in the marching band and other musical organizations. He attended Baylor University as an undergraduate from 1958 through 1962 with a percussion scholarship from the School of Music. While at Baylor, Jerry played in the Golden Wave Marching Band, various concert bands, and was a charter member of the Baylor Symphony. As an undergraduate, Jerry chose to major in business and received his BBA in Management in 1962. At the urging of his major professors, he applied and was accepted into the MBA program at the Baylor Hankamer School of Business, from which he graduated with his MBA in 1965. Encouraged by several business professor mentors, Jerry continued his education at the University of Arkansas pursuing a PhD in business. While at Arkansas, he taught the first classes of what would become a teaching career in higher education that would span over 50 years. While working on his PhD, Jerry became the assistant vice president of Business Affairs for the University in 1970. He also continued his lifelong passion for music by playing in the University of Arkansas Symphony and the City of Fort Smith Symphony. At Arkansas, he also met Jane Barnett of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, who would become his beloved wife of almost 51 years. They married in 1970 and he received his PhD in 1973. In 1974, Baylor University recruited Jerry to come back to Waco and teach in the Marketing Department of the Hankamer School of Business as an Assistant Professor. His teaching career at Baylor spanned from the fall semester of 1974 through the spring semester of 2020. During his 46 years of teaching at Baylor, he taught well over 5000 students, some of whom were sons and daughters of his original students in the 1970s! He received tenure in 1981 and became an Associate Professor, followed by a promotion to Professor in 1991. Jerry also served as Chairman of the Marketing Department from 1989 through 2000 where he led the department through a period of growth and expansion as a part of the Baylor 2012 strategic plan. Upon his retirement from teaching, Baylor University granted him the honorary title of Professor Emeritus in the Spring 2021 semester. While teaching at Baylor, Dr. Johnson served on numerous academic committees and advised several student organizations such as the Lambda Chi Alpha social fraternity and Beta Gamma Sigma honorary business fraternity. School committees included the Advisory Task Force for the Baylor Alumni Association, and the Baylor at Independence Committee. He also worked closely with the Athletic Department for several decades and served on both the Athletic Council and as the chairman of the search committee for the successor of legendary Baylor Baseball coach Mickey Sullivan in 1994. While Jerry was actively involved in the academic life of Baylor University, he also had a “weekend job” of being the voice of the Golden Wave Band from the Fall 1974 season through the Sugar Bowl following the Fall 2019 season. The Golden Wave Marching Band was dear to Jerry’s heart and he counted the directors through the years as some of his closest friends. Even though he taught in the business school, he also had a close relationship with the School of Music, serving on numerous masters oral exam committees and faculty search committees. Jerry’s contributions did not end at Baylor when he left work at the end of the day. Through a consulting firm he helped found, he and several business school colleagues furthered the efforts of numerous small Texas communities as they redeveloped their Main Streets and downtowns as part of the Texas Main Street Program. Adopting Waco as his hometown, through the years he served as a board member for the Waco Regional Airport, the Heart of Texas Fair and Rodeo, the Eastern Waco Development Corporation, the First University Credit Union, the Waco Community Band, and the Lake Brazos Rotary Club. He was also a charter member of the Waco Symphony Orchestra and he played in the Waco Community Band as well. An active member of First Baptist Church of Waco, Jerry played percussion in the church orchestra, sang in the choir for several years, and served on several committees over time. He was instrumental in the construction of the new and expanded pipe organ for the church in the 1980s and was active in its maintenance and care almost to the end of his life. One of his last contributions to the church’s music program was helping to acquire four new tympany drums for the church orchestra. Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Mabel Johnson. Jerry’s family was the center of his life and were always on his thoughts. Left to cherish his memory include his wife of almost 51 years, Jane; his son, Marcus and beloved daughter-in-law, Amy, of Waco; his son Anthony of Waco; and his precious grandson, Cameron Taylor Johnson, whom he delighted in. Pallbearers will be his wonderful colleagues from the Hankamer School of Business. These include Dr. Kirk Wakefield, Dr. Jim Roberts, Dr. Bill Weeks, Dr. Terry Maness, Dr. Darryl Lehnus, Dr. Michael Robinson, Dr. Bill Thomas, Dr. Keith Richards, Dr. Mark Dunn, Dr. Chris Pullig, Dr. Stan Madden, and Don Schreiber. Memorials may be made to the Jerry W. Johnson Endowed Scholarship in Marketing benefiting students of the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University. The Baylor Department of University Advancement has set up a web site for those who would like to donate. https://baylor.scalefunder.com/cfund/project/26260. The family invites you to leave a message or memory on our “Tribute Wall” at www. WHBfamily.com.