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Philip Matthew Johnson (1951-2021)
Philip Matthew Johnson entered the presence of the Lord surrounded 
by his wife and family on February 10, 2021 after a battle with the 
coronavirus. He was 69.

Phil was born on August 12, 1951 in Philadelphia, PA. He attended 
The King’s College in New York where he met and later married Debo-
rah Lynn Geary on June 24, 1969. The couple moved to Seattle, WA 
where he completed his bachelor’s degree in biology at Seattle Pacific 
University before settling in Dallas, TX. While working in Dallas, Phil 
earned his master’s degree in theology at Dallas Theological Semi-
nary (DTS), a master’s degree in library science at the University of 
North Texas, and a Ph.D. in history at the University of Texas at Dallas. 
He became a librarian at DTS where he worked for 8 years before 
becoming the Library Director at Multnomah University in Portland, 
OR. While at Multnomah, Phil was a popular professor of American 
history as well as English Bible. He retired from Multnomah in the 
summer of 2020 after 23 years of service. Throughout his career Phil 
served as a Sunday school teacher and supply preacher filling the 
pulpits of a number of area churches where his deep knowledge of 
scripture and Biblical history was greatly admired. He was a member 
of St Matthew’s Anglican Church in Portland where he sang tenor in 
the choir. He leaves behind his beloved wife, a daughter, a son, four 
grandchildren, and six siblings. 

A verse that guided Phil throughout his life was Psalm 27:4: “One 
thing have I desired of the LORD, and that will I seek after; that I may 
dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the 
beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.”

MEMORIALS



68  A NNUA L Y E A RBOOK

William T. Henderson (1929-2020)
William T. Henderson (Bill) grew up in Ridge Farm, IL, a town of 800 
or so. What was unusual about this town was that it had a Carnegie 
library building, a paid staff member and a sizable, growing collec-
tion. The Henderson family members were avid readers and Bill, 
early on, accompanied his mother to the library. As he grew older, 
he won a scholarship to the University of Illinois to major in flori-
culture, another interest of Bill’s. As many others, he found his way 
to McKinley Foundation, the Presbyterian student center. There he 
met Kathryn Luther, his future wife. 

In addition to his coursework, he enrolled in the ROTC program 
and, upon graduation, was commissioned a second lieutenant in 
the Army Quartermaster Corp. The Korean Conflict was flaring up 
and Bill was soon called to active duty. He spent 13 ½ months in 
Korea in charge of a laundry company near a very active battle-
front and was discharged from the Army in late June 1953. He was 
accepted at McCormick Theological Seminary (Chicago). Kathryn was 
hired as a professional librarian at the seminary’s library and they 
were married August 22, 1953. Bill was offered a student library job 
during his student years at McCormick and, upon graduating, was 
offered the new position of Acquisitions Librarian contingent upon 
his completing a master’s degree in library science at the University 
of Chicago.

Calvin Schmidt, the Chief Librarian, was very active in Atla (which 
was then called ATLA). He made it possible for Kathryn and Bill to 
attend ATLA’s annual conferences. There, they made many friends 
as they participated in ATLA’s endeavors. They had the pleasure of 
visiting several ATLA libraries.

In 1965, Kathryn was asked to join the faculty of her alma mater, the 
Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the Univer-
sity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Bill chose a position related 
to binding/preservation. Later, Bill was asked to present a paper at 
an ATLA session on those important, growing concerns of librarian-
ship. Together, they developed a new course in the library/informa-
tion science curriculum related to preservation. 

Thanks to Atla members throughout the years for their friendship 
and professional contributions to our professional and personal lives.


