Former IMC Director Donald “Pete” Johnston Dies at 89

Columbia SIPA remembers longtime faculty member Donald H. Johnston, known as Pete,who died May 18 in New Paltz, N.Y., at the age of 89.

Johnston was a World War II veteran and newspaper reporter and editor — first at the upstate Tonawanda News, later at UPI and the New York Times — who joined the faculty of Columbia Journalism School in 1976. In 1991 he moved on to SIPA as an adjunct professor and director of International Media and Communications, which at the time was one of the School’s concentrations. Johnston remained as director or co-director of IMC until his retirement in 2008.

Anya Schiffrin, who currently directs the IMAC specialization, co-directed the IMC concentration during Johnston’s final years as a faculty member. “Pete taught a flagship writing course for us, which was well-known as a rite of passage,” she recalled. “He was a tough editor and an old-fashioned newsman [who] schooled a generation of SIPA alumni who went on to have successful journalism careers.”

“What I remember really is his dedication, his commitment to writing and to the world of newspapers, and his loyal attachement to IMC,” Schiffrin added. “He did a lot to build of the spirit of the concentration.”

Adjunct professor Anne Nelson, who teaches New Media and Development Communication, remembered Johnston with great affection, noting that he was always supportive and quick to share credit. “People with the generosity of Pete Johnston — who treat students and colleagues as he did — are gold,” Nelson said. “The reason people have an emotional attachment to places like Columbia lies in people like Pete.”

Johnston’s family has asked that donations be made to the Journalism School's Alumni Annual Fund.