Johnnie V.

Today was a very sad day; my mother-in-law, Johnnie, passed away this morning very suddenly. She and I did not always see eye-to-eye, nonetheless, she was a remarkable woman. She did things that very few African American women did during her generation. Straight out of high school in the early 50s, Johnnie left the small Louisiana town she was born in and attended Southern University where she earned a degree in math. She then moved to CA and attended the University of LaVerne and earned a master's degree in math. Johnnie later earned her PhD. in education at Pepperdine University.

Johnnie was very dedicated to the education of young students and spent many years teaching math at an inner city school in South Central Los Angeles. However, prior to becoming a teacher she has the distinguished honor of being one of very few women who worked for Lockheed Martin; in fact, Johnnie helped in the wing design of the Boeing 747. Pretty remarkable.

Even more remarkable to me is the fact that she managed to raise such a wonderful son. It could not have been easy for her, a young single mother, to raise a young man in South Central Los Angeles. Yet, somehow she managed to instill in him her own values for hard-work, education, and integrity. For that, no matter what our differences, I thank her. I am a better person for having known her.