Olive Genevieve Johnson, a UCLA emeritus professor who had an illustrious career as a Registered Records Administrator (RRA), passed away peacefully in her sleep on January 31. The 45-year resident of Pacific Palisades was 95. Born in Duluth, Minnesota, Olive graduated from the medical record education program at St. Mary’s Hospital (affiliated with the college of St. Scholastica) in Duluth in 1936. By 1956 she had attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Public Health Service in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining UCLA’s faculty in 1961, Olive was a faculty member of the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh, and Medical Record Librarian-in-chief (now called Medical Records Administrator) of their Health Center. Her other hospital experiences included Cleveland City Hospital, Grace-New Haven Hospital, and the Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health. Then she moved to Los Angeles and began a 20-year tenure as director of graduate studies in health information systems at the UCLA School of Public Health, graduating over 140 students in both the bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. In 1973, Olive traveled to Ghana, and in 1975, at the request of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Liberia, participated in a feasibility study on the installation of the country’s first health information systems. An objective of the MOHSW was to provide more equitable distribution of health care to rural areas and to women and children, with increased emphasis on preventive health services. This included a study of the characteristics of the country, the culture of the people, and the existing health services in rural and urban areas. Years later, Olive enjoyed recalling her participation in this exciting endeavor and giving her lucky friends and students a memorable slide show tour of her African adventures, complete with music. During her career, Olive also traveled to Mexico and Jordan on special assignments in her field, and serve as principal investigator on multiple Public Health Service grants. In 1978, she received the faculty Distinguished Service Award from the UCLA School of Public Health Alumni Association in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field of medical records administration, especially in the areas of research, education, and professional association participation. Olive was highly regarded in her field nationally and internationally, by both students and colleagues, and remained active after her retirement in 1981, continuing as an author, lecturer-specialist, and international consultant. In recognition of her lifetime achievements, the American Medical Record Association in 1982 awarded Olive their prestigious Distinguished Member award–only the 14th member to receive this honor in the association’s 54-year history. In her spare time, Olive was also an accomplished cook, graduating from the Cordon Bleu Cooking School while in Washington, D.C. While trained in traditional French cooking, Olive found that her two most requested recipes were her mother’s lighter-than-a-cloud angel food cake, and chocolate brownie cake. An avid dog and cat lover, Olive took in many Sheltie rescue dogs throughout the years. She loved music, baseball, entertaining, and trying anything new’and she had an amazing appreciation of whatever life offered her. She was especially fond of her beautiful garden, and throughout the years hosted many reunions and other parties in the park-like setting of her back yard. She actively supported the Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church; her alma mater, St. Scholastica; and numerous charities. During her lifetime, Olive Johnson generously imparted knowledge, wisdom, and her own special brand of humor wherever she went. She was universally loved and respected by all, and the most frequent comment made by those who were lucky enough to know Olive is that she was strong, yet always so gracious–and just a lot of fun to be around. Per Olive’s wishes, there will be no funeral or memorial services. Tax-deductible donations in her memory can be sent to: Sheltie Rescue, c/o Kathy Parsons, 261 No. Marian St., La Habra, CA 90631. Telephone: (562) 697-9784.
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