Roger Johnson

Roger Taylor Johnson of Manhattan passed away on September 14, 2024, at the age of 86. He was born May 24, 1938, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Mary Taylor and Loren W. Johnson. The family moved for his father’s work and Johnson attended five high schools, graduating from Mamaroneck High School in Westchester County, New York. Roger was especially proud of achieving the rank of Eagle Scout during these years. He went on to Oberlin College, graduating in 1960. He earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. in American History from the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

Johnson is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Linda, of the home, and two daughters: Laura, of Durham, North Carolina, and Sarah, of Lawrence, Kansas. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Kathryn Fothergill.

He was employed as a lecturer and associate editor of the Eisenhower papers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and later as a teacher at Boston College, in Boston. He then joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston as a public representative and wrote a history of the Federal Reserve System that is still in use. After a stint at the Kansas City Board of Trade, he became Assistant Director of the International Grains Program at Kansas State University. After his retirement from the university, he spent ten years traveling the country as a tour director for Trafalgar Tours, Grand Circle, and Tauck. That may have been his favorite job, because he loved traveling, meeting new people, and sharing his knowledge of history.

He was a volunteer for Shepherd’s Crossing in Manhattan for many years. He had also been a member of the Lion’s Club and the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship of Manhattan.

The family requests no flowers. Memorial contributions may be made to UUFM, 481 Zeandale Road, Manhattan, KS 66502, or Shepherd’s Crossing, 621 Humboldt Street, Manhattan, KS 66502.

Memorial Services to be held at a later date, through Irvin Parkview Funeral Home, 1317 Poyntz Ave., Manhattan, KS 66502.