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OKLAHOMA CITY — “We must keep the Chronicle alive!” John…
‘President of presidents’ honored at Oklahoma Christian
University unveils Johnson Terrace on its campus as a tribute to Terry and Marty Johnson's three decades of service.
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OKLAHOMA CITY — “You have always been to me the president of presidents,” Ken Jones, president of Oklahoma Christian University, said to J. Terry Johnson during the dedication of Johnson Terrace on the university’s campus.
J. Terry Johnson speaks during the dedication of Johnson Terrace at Oklahoma Christian University.
The Sept. 27 dedication was nearly 50 years to the day since Johnson, then age 31, became the third president of what was then Oklahoma Christian College. His wife, Marty, was 29.
“We didn’t know any better,” Johnson said, “but we had a lot of help along the way.”
During his tenure, Johnson was instrumental in establishing Oklahoma Christian’s engineering program. He helped grow the campus in terms of students, endowment and infrastructure, Jones said.
Terry and Marty Johnson and their family listen during the dedication ceremony at Oklahoma Christian.
Marty Johnson served as a welcoming ambassador for the college, said Oklahoma Christians current chancellor, John deSteiguer. The terrace, which includes pergolas and corn hole games, is “a place that is fun inviting … just like Marty Johnson,” deSteiguer said.
Terry Johnson was president in 1980 when missionary John Beckloff offered The Christian Chronicle to Oklahoma Christian.
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Administrators were “insistent that it not be a house organ for OC,” Johnson told the Chronicle in 2022. “We felt that would kill it if it were perceived to be a tool for the college.”
A half-century after he took the reins of Oklahoma Christian, Johnson remains the university’s most influential and most productive administrator, Jones said, adding, “You deserve more than we can give you today.”
Oklahoma Christian officials and Johnson family members cut the ribbon for Johnson Terrace.
Children play a game of cornhole on Johnson Terrace.
A plaque at Johnson Terrace highlights the accomplishments of Oklahoma Christian University’s third president.
