Larry Johnson, a Cleveland native and 1984 graduate of Hocking College’s EMTParamedic Program, still remembers the quiet campus, outdoor opportunities, and small-college atmosphere that made Hocking special.
One of his fondest memories came in 1984, when he was chosen as one of 13 students and faculty to study abroad for two weeks. The group visited St. John’s & St. Mary’s Institute of Technology in Taipei, Taiwan, and The Metropolitan College of Technology in Tokyo, Japan. He also recalls experiences unique to Hocking — water rescue training, rappelling, the annual Paul Bunyan Show, and the chance to know nearly everyone on campus.
“I even remember people talking about how shiny the floors looked in the main building,” Johnson said with a smile. “What they didn’t know was that my work-study job was cleaning and buffing those floors every night.”
After graduating from Hocking, Johnson enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. There, he worked in the Emergency Department at Malcolm Grow Medical Center, building on the skills he learned at Hocking.
Following his service, Johnson moved to Columbus, where he earned a nursing degree from The Ohio State University in 1992. Over the course of his career, he has worked in Nursing Management, the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit.
Since 2021, Johnson has served on the Hocking College Foundation Board of Directors. He lives in Columbus with his wife, Tracy, their son, Preston, and their dog, Lola. His daughter, Emily, is a student at Kent State University.