It is with an incredibly heavy heart that we announce the passing of one of our previous Board members, a member of our Faculty (speaking most recently only four years ago at the Gross Course at Kansas State University), and one of our greatest champions and most ardent supporters, Dr. Linda Kassebaum Johnson. As one who had the incredible luck to work with her early in our careers at the Armed Forces of Pathology, and then for many years later with the (then) C.L. Davis Foundation, she will forever live in my fondest memories. No one who knew her would forget so many things about her - the constant twinkle in her eye, her ever-present smile, or the way all conversation in the room would stop when she would speak in her very soft-spoken way,. Linda never failed to bring out our better angels, and I, like so many others I am sure, walked away from our every encounter resolved to be a better person. Her passing once again reveals the cruelty of the year, and the randomness of the universe, and we are all lessened by the lack of her company. "Death, be not proud, though some have called thee mghty and dreadful, for thou art not so; For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow die not." ....*John Donne* Linda, we will miss you and always will remember you. bhw [image: 133310934_10159396028932873_7047909159132195753_o.jpg] DR. LINDA JOHNSON 1958-2020 Linda Josephine Kassebaum Johnson, daughter of John Philip Kassebaum and former Kansas Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum, died early on Sunday morning from the effects of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy at her home in Buena Vista, Colorado. She was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1958 and was a graduate of Holton-Arms School, Kansas State University (B.S., D.V.M. *1979*, M.Sc.), and The Johns Hopkins University (1987-1990 post doc/residency and M.P.H.). While always a mother first to her children, Linda had a life-long passion for veterinary medicine and comparative pathology. After earning her D.V.M., Linda joined the Peace Corps as a veterinarian, and was stationed in Togo, where she met her former husband, Maurice Johnson. Her career included the position as Chief Pathologist for the Registry of Comparative Pathology (1991-1995) at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington DC where she wrote and edited many publications, facilitated research, and coordinated symposia related to comparative pathology. Her leadership managing the Registry contributed significantly to the elucidation of a number of animal models of human disease, ensured the preservation of pathologic material from many species of exotic animals, and resulted in the archival of invaluable reference material related to comparative medicine. From 1996-98 Linda was an Assistant Clinical Professor of Comparative Pathology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and from 2001 to 2003 at Yale University Division of Comparative Medicine. In 2003 she moved with her family to England where she was a consultant pathologist with the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Weybridge, England; returning to the US and the Yale University Division of Comparative Pathology in 2008. In 2009 Linda joined the Tri-Institutional Laboratory of Comparative Pathology (MSKCC/Cornell and Rockefeller), Center of Comparative Medicine and Pathology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Manhattan, NY. She was associated with the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and was Chief Anatomic Pathologist at the Weill Cornell Medical College. In this position, she was responsible for the Genetically Modified Animal Phenotyping Service where she provided phenotyping assessment for potential animal models of human disease and anatomic and clinical pathology assessment for safety and biologic studies required for FDA submission. In October 2011 Linda took a position in Australia as the Head of Anatomy and Pathology at the James Cook University Veterinary School in Townsville, Queensland, Australia where she oversaw the departments of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Comparative Anatomy, Histology and Pathology as well as supervised the services of the university diagnostic laboratory and provided guidance to research students. Here she identified and initiated scientific collaborations with university researchers. Her collaborations included work in C57BL/6 mice deficient in MyD8 developing *E. coli* peritonitis and investigation of gill aneurysms in reef-caught Damselfish related to chronically elevated water temperature. After returning to the States she accepted a position in 2015 developing the Comparative Medicine and Pathology group at the Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado-Denver. She retired from there when her disease progressed. She was a member of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists, American Veterinary Medical Association, Kansas Veterinary Medical Association, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists and was on the Board of Directors of the C.L. Davis and S.W. Thompson DVM Foundation for Comparative and Veterinary Pathology. Over her career, Linda co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed scientific articles, served on the editorial board for several journals, and received the KSU College of Veterinary Medicine Alumni Recognition Award. She was highly respected by her colleagues in veterinary medicine and pathology for her professional skills, character and contributions. She was also a warm and compassionate friend., and few who knew her were not touched by the twinkle in her eye, her constant smile, and even fewer left her presence without an involuntary resolve to be a better person moving forward. Linda loved spending time with her family, but was never far from an animal, whether it be a dog, cat, or a tree kangaroo. She loved to watch the Palm Cockatoos by her office in Australia. Unsurprisingly, she was a volunteer at the Denver Zoo. She also enjoyed rooting for Arsenal F.C., bird watching, travel, and adventure (as long as an animal was involved). She is survived by her mother, two brothers, Bill and John, three children, Kristian, Margot, and Elsa, as well as a large family including step-siblings and cousins, nephews and nieces. A private funeral will be held in Kansas. In lieu of flowers, a memorial for Linda has been established at the Kansas State University Foundation to support veterinary students. Contributions may be sent to: KSU Foundation, 1800 Kimball Ave., Ste 200, Manhattan, KS 66502, please indicate fund M47334. To make a gift online, go to www.ksufoundation.org/give/memorials <https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ksufoundation.org%2Fgive%2Fmemorials%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2VAXJvRwWGwWGIdHnMK1189NxzOStTd0OTF-UB_V5aRnn7vJZIRRlnRWk&h=AT3MlO0CI-ja6mUe3sIapJbGtJ5LrfNpZWmkIJHsh5FE7FKpw2yORxP5s1PCfvJF3blbcROpho77X7ebik7TJP-F8wTNDa9W9qDHUGAN_1UvJedJqjtr0tSmOkoz2eSmNQ&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT3S_vkl6pQKWP31gtvQ89tniXHju9gC7ltQ1rCXTFfa9C0QjN06NHE3AaIWkMbGiSkVs-lXm4_-jDFvRCsnm51CZYzOiaV-QxhPaCdsX3gnjUn_6Esu14krhMH60zqiml5rp26ofK-_wJv14FghfEZeqvFm7FOf5VRLS6ETzEkPJ-kHcg2OJwAFMj5jgIqqQ_LrK8jjxvI8hGEV5Q> .
