Mary Johnston
Inducted In
2009
Mary Johnston is a well-known and respected educator in Waterloo Region, whose career spanned 37 years until her retirement in 1987.
Johnston attended Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate, Waterloo College and the Stratford Teachers’ College. She earned Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Western Ontario.
Johnston’s teaching career began in 1950 at Bearinger School, moving to MacGregor School two years later. In 1965 she became Vice-Principal of Empire School, and was the only woman public school Vice-Principal in the area. She was appointed Principal of Brighton School in 1968, becoming the first woman Principal of a public school in the City of Waterloo. Johnston’s contributions to local education were recognized in 1987 when the Waterloo County Board of Education named a new school in west Waterloo after her. During her teaching career, Johnston was active on many local, regional, provincial and national committees concerned with education issues and policies.
Johnston’s honours include the Diamond Jubilee Award, a one-time recognition by the Federation of Women Teachers’ Association of Ontario as the most distinguished woman elementary public school teacher in Ontario. She was also named Oktoberfest Woman of the Year (Professional Category) in 1975 and received Her Majesty’s Silver Anniversary and Golden Jubilee Medals.
After her retirement, Johnston contributed to the community by her work with The Waterloo Region Social Resources Council. She also continues to be an active member of the Waterloo Historical Society, the Canadian Federation of University Women (Kitchener-Waterloo), the Probus Women’s Club of Kitchener-Westmount, and the Retired Teachers’ Association of Waterloo Region.
Johnston is a faithful member of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Kitchener where she is an elder and actively participates in the Women’s Missionary Society. In the wider church, she has been very involved in the National Presbyterian Museum and Oikocredit, which is the worldwide cooperative society that empowers disadvantaged and marginalized people through financial support.
Photo courtesy of Bob Rogers.