In Memoriam: Karen Johnson

10 thoughts on “In Memoriam: Karen Johnson”

  1. What a beautiful tribute to my “Karen twin.” I was fortunate to get to know her through our perfect attendance years with IUG. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have been introduced to Ethiopian food and customs. I will miss her.

  2. Karen was an encouraging mentor and role model to me and to countless others, here at Gleeson as well as at IUG, in the classes she taught, and at home with her beloved extended family of nieces and nephews. She shared her expertise with great patience. I used to marvel at the equanimity with which she fielded dozens of phone calls and emails every day from library staff in every department who needed her help. I think it’s telling that when Karen retired, it took three people to replace her!

    Karen loved Star Trek and the Beatles and music in general. She had tribbles in her office. She was always curious but never nosy. She laughed well and often. She was a great colleague and friend. How she will be missed!

  3. I am so sorry to hear of Karen’s passing–she was a pleasure to work with and I have so many fond memories of her smile and laughter that I will cherish. My thoughts are with her family and friends, especially those at Gleeson who had the pleasure of working closely with her.

  4. Karen was both a very accomplished and helpful librarian (as this post details) and a kind, warm, welcoming person to all of us who used the library and saw her on campus over these many years. I love the photos of her with many members of the library “family.” She will be missed.

  5. I remember Karen as a knowledgable, kind, and loving presence whenever I interacted with her; I find these traits among her former/ fellow library colleagues. Through how she lived, her life remains leaving with its’ imprint of good for all those she touched.

  6. Karen was always considerate and kind to me. She was intelligent and discriminating in the work we did together integrating the Innovative library system with our student, faculty & staff information. I will remember her fondly. My condolences to her family. What a good life she led! Thank you for this tribute to her.

  7. I miss you, Karen. You were a wonderful colleague and friend, so generous, smart, funny, and fun. I will always be grateful to you for being one of the people who first hired me at Gleeson, which helped start my beloved career. My love and care goes to everyone who loved Karen.

  8. Karen was the most kind and thoughtful person I’ve ever met. She cared about others and indeed a great mentor. It was a great journey to work for her as student assistant for 3 years. She will be missed and live in our heart.

Leave a Reply to Debbie Benrubi Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *