Emeritus English Professor Richard Johnson died in February of pulmonary fibrosis.

Johnson was a professor at Loyola from 1970 to 1998, also serving as an assistant dean is the college of art and sciences, director of the common curriculum, English department chairman

and director of freshmen composition, according to an email sent to the Loyola community in March.

An obituary that ran in The Times-Picayune said Johnson’s academic specialty was the English Romantic poets, specifically the poetry and graphic works of William Blake, whom he greatly admired.

After retiring from Loyola, Johnson began a second career as a photo-real painter. One of his paintings hangs in a Loyola conference room and he had his paintings featured in several galleries, according to The Times- Picayune obituary.

Mary Waguespack, an English instructor, worked closely with Johnson while he was the director of composition.

“He was very involved in the life of the English department and very supportive of the first-year writing faculty whom he directed as head of the composition program,” Waguespack said in an email. “It was a joy to work with the gentleman, and I will remember him for his collegiality, his kindness and his great sense of humor in all things.”

A memorial commemorating Johnson is being planned.

Hannah Iannazzo can be reached at [email protected]