Teacher Marilyn Johnson served her country as a WWII veteran and as a foreign diplomat. Photo Credit: Caledonian Record

Many exceptional teachers also earn acclaim in fields other than education. One of these is Marilyn Johnson, a World Languages teacher from Massachusetts. She served her country as a WWII veteran, and also as a distinguished foreign diplomat.

Marilyn was born on June 19, 1922, in Boston Massachusetts. The first in her immediate family to attend college, she earned her Bachelor’s degree with Honors from Radcliffe in 1944. She earned her Master’s degree in French from Middlebury College in 1952. In addition, Marilyn served in the US Navy from 1944 to 1946, while World War II was in full swing. She became a member a specialized group in the Navy’s WAVES. That group, which was based in Washington, DC, became known as “code girls.” Their specific mission was to break Japanese codes.

From 1952 to 1959, Marilyn taught French at various high schools. She also taught English as a foreign language in numerous schools in the African countries of Cameroon and Mali between 1962 to 1964.

In 1964, Marilyn joined the US Foreign Service, and she also served as a cultural affairs officer in Bamako, Mali, and Tunisia, and as the public affairs officer in Niger. She then served as the Deputy Assistant Director of the Information Program from 1971 to 1974. In 1975, she attended the Senior Seminar in Foreign Policy, and from 1975 to 1976, she attended special training where she learned to speak Russian. This training led to a job as a cultural affairs officer in Moscow in the former Soviet Union. In 1978, Marilyn was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to serve as the US Ambassador to the African country of Togo. She served in that position until her retirement in 1981.

Sadly, Marilyn Johnson passed away in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, on Sept. 19, 2022. She was 100 years old. To read more about this amazing educator, click on this link to the Caledonian Record.