Allen Huggins Johnson, M.D., 79, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, died Saturday, February 25, 2017. The family will receive friends Thursday, March 2, 2017, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at J. HENRY STUHR, INC. MOUNT PLEASANT CHAPEL, 1494 Mathis Ferry Rd. A private memorial service will be held at Christ Church Mount Pleasant.
Dr. Johnson was born May 25, 1937, in Columbia, South Carolina, son of the late Allen Huggins Johnson, Sr., and the late Mae Elizabeth Burgess Johnson. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1958 and from the Medical College of South Carolina in 1962. He was the first straight medical intern at MUSC in 1962-3 and spent 2 years in the US Army Medical Corps, where he served as a Captain during the Vietnam War. He completed his internal medicine residency at MUSC 1965-7. He was the first fellow in Infectious Disease at Emory University in 1967 and later a faculty member at Emory in 1968-9. In August of 1969 he joined the faculty of The Department of Medicine at MUSC as an Assistant Professor of Medicine.
Dr. Johnson had a long and distinguished career at MUSC. He certainly would not have wanted a long listing of all his accomplishments. There was an absence of vainglory and he was noted for always giving credit to the whole medical team when he received awards. His most cherished awards were multiple teaching awards, the MUSC Distinguished Alumnus Award, The Outstanding Faculty Service Award, and The Distinguished University Professor Award. He held the McKnight-Boyle Chair in Gerontology, the first Chair endowed at MUSC. The Allen H. Johnson Chair in General Medicine and Geriatrics was endowed in 2007.
Dr. Johnson always said, "Know thyself," "Never think you are more important than anybody," and "Never confuse the road map with the journey!"
Surviving are his loving wife, Jennifer, his four children, Allen Huggins Johnson, Jr., Kathryn Johnson Martin, Brooks Burgess Johnson (Eliza), and Laura Johnson Meintel (Alex); two stepchildren, Honor Hawkins Miller (Ned) and Jai Crosby Quigley (Josh); eight grandchildren, Meredith, Christine, AJ, Madison, Ford, Johnson, Grace and Lizzie; six step-grandchildren, Owen, Holden, Shirey, Emma, Lena, and Ellis; and his brother, Nexsen B. Johnson (Sylvia).
Memorials may be made to the Allen H. Johnson, M.D. Memorial Scholarship Fund, MUSC Foundation, 18 Bee Street, MSC 450, Charleston, SC, 29425.