Patrick J Johnson Johnson

I went from NTCHS to Carroll College in the fall of 1969. I met my former wife Terry at Carroll, which we attended for two years. We moved to Salt Lake City, Terry's home, in 1971. We completed our undergraduate education at the University of Utah and both of us later returned for masters' degrees. I worked for Salt Lake County and the State of Utah for nearly thirty years in public health and health policy holding a variety of positions including serving as the executive director of the Utah Health Policy Commission. After retiring from the State of Utah, I did consulting and worked for a health quality improvement company.

Terry and I divorced in 2003. I moved to Helena in 2008 after living in Salt Lake City for thirty-seven years. Soon after, I met Peg Hunter who was an elementary school teacher now retired. We were married in 2010. Peg has two children. Jeff is a chef and lives in Seattle. Tia and her husband Mark also live in Seattle. Tia just graduated from the University of Washington with a Masters degree in public health. I worked for the Lewis and Clark County Health Department and a couple of nonprofits and retired in 2012.

After being away from Montana for nearly forty years and finally returning, I never thought I would leave. We like living in Port Townsend and miss Montana. We enjoy traveling around the Pacific Northwest and return to Montana whenever possible. We go to the beach nearly everyday with our dogs and volunteer for various organizations.

I have fond memories of NTCHS and some painful ones too. Walking at graduation with Mike is the most meaningful. The bus trips to play sports and for music festivals were sometimes tedious and long. Brad Lawerence presided over a four year long poker game played on a mechanical drawing board at the back of the bus. He taught many of us to tie our ties so we didn't have look like dorks with cheater ties.

I love the College Bowl in Mr. Peck's class. Alanna or Arelyn Stolz always won. English Composition with Mr. Haines was wonderful. I am indebted to Mr. McCallister for being the Grammar Task Master. My locker was between Gary Kimmet's and Mike's for all four years at NTCHS. The two of them delighted in blocking me out causing me to be late for class. I remember Dean Young twirling his finger (not that finger) over Mr. Bradbury's head and Mr. Thompson taking exception and getting after Dean. A few of us would corral Gail Linnell in the mornings before class to get help with our math and science homework.
Gail was always generous with his time. Our "Sneak Trip" to Lake Blaine is memorable and also involved poker with Mr. Schrammack joining in and "cleaning" us out.

In the end, it is the people who we remember. Parents, siblings, extended family, friends, teachers and many others who have touched our lives.