In a crowd of friends, family and alumni, William “Bill” Page Johnson, PhD, received the honor of having the ISD Lied Multipurpose Complex gymnasium named for him during homecoming on Oct. 14. Naming the building after Bill is an acknowledgement of his passion to provide a building in which deaf students could be proud to play. He is also acknowledged for his many initiatives to strengthen the school’s academic program and tighten community bonds.
Bill was born in 1942 in Council Bluffs to deaf parents, Efford and Emma (Page) Johnson. Part of the Iowa School for the Deaf campus contains land his family farmed in the 1850s.
Dr. Johnson was named the first hard-of-hearing superintendent for Iowa School for the Deaf in 1987. He had a vision for a state-of-the-art gymnasium where Iowa School for the Deaf students could train and learn using modern equipment and facilities.
Under his leadership, the Iowa School for the Deaf Foundation was formed, allowing the school to receive private donations. Dr. Johnson made several attempts to lobby the state of Iowa before Iowa School for the Deaf received approval to launch its first capital campaign. He met with dozens of individuals, foundations and business representatives to garner financial support of the project.
Through grants and requests, more than 60% of the building’s $8.75 million cost was raised from private donations. The Ernst Lied Foundation covered $2 million of the cost and requested naming rights. The Iowa West Foundation donated $1 million. In 2000, the Iowa legislature supported the project with $3.2 million. Businesses, organizations, trusts, employees, alumni, family, friends and members of ISD’s general community covered the remaining costs. In May, 2002 Dr. Johnson and a member of the ISD basketball team made a basket on the court in front of hundreds of supporters to officially open the 58,000 sq. ft. Lied Multipurpose Complex.
Dr. Johnson retired from Iowa School for the Deaf in 2003 with the title of superintendent-emeritus. In December, 2003, he was named superintendent at St. Mary’s School for the Deaf in Buffalo, New York.
Prior to his appointment at Iowa School for the Deaf, Dr. Johnson was superintendent of Illinois School for the Deaf. Positions he held before becoming a superintendent include teaching in Council Bluffs Public Schools, at Iowa School for the Deaf and at Portland, Oregon Public Schools. He was director of special education at Area Education Agency #16 in Iowa.
He attended and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs and earned several degrees throughout his career. His bachelor’s degree is from the University of Denver. His master’s and doctoral degrees are from the University of Iowa. He served on numerous community and education-focused boards. He was appointed by U.S. Speaker O’Neill to serve as a member of the Committee on Education of the Deaf.
