Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Spring 2022 - 36

People in Orthodontics
In Memoriam
Dr. Earl Johnson
Earl was a regular bike rider with a group of friends.
He had a terrible bike accident in February 2022 that
ended his life. Earl had just started teaching again at
University of California San Francisco (UCSF), taking
on the biomechanics series that was his true love in
orthodontics. Earl is survived by his wife, Gay, and
their three children, Kelly, Ross, and Brooke and his
grandson by Kelly.
Earl and I were classmates, graduating from the 1965
orthodontic Curriculum II program at UCSF. Earl had
also graduated from Johns Hopkins with an engineering
degree, which gave him a head start in his orthodontic
education. We bonded early in the University
of California (UC) clinic and would walk over to each
other's chairs for every patient to collaborate and
learn. Earl's thoughts on bioengineering enhanced
my understanding of clinical orthodontics. After we
graduated, we both went into the Air Force to treat
service member families-he was stationed in Wiesbaden,
Germany, and I was in Athens, Greece. When
my second child was born, Earl flew down to take care
of my Air Force patients. I also had the opportunity to
visit him with my family in Wiesbaden.
After leaving the Air Force in 1968, Earl took over
a small practice from Dr. Bob Mohler in Mill Valley,
California, and I joined Dr. Wayne Watson in Berkeley,
California. A few years later, Earl and I started a small
partnership practice in Tiburon, California. We designed
the space, developed all treatment paperwork,
made our own retainers, and trimmed and polished
our models. We practiced together one day a week
for 13 years. It became our valuable private study club.
In 1970, Dr. Mike Meyer joined me in the Berkeley
practice, and periodically Earl would come and work
with us there.
Mike had started teaching right after residency, and
he and Dr. Eugene West recruited me to volunteer
in the clinic once a week. Later, when I was also lecturing,
we recruited Earl, who came twice a week to
lecture and supervise treatment in the clinic. Earl was
one of the best clinical teachers I knew, emphasizing
efficiency and clever mechanical methods. Outcomes
of his cases were routinely excellent. For several years,
Earl and I were paid co-clinic directors at UC. He
earned his American Board of Orthodontics certification
in 1974 when one was required to present 10
cases.
When I was PCSO Bulletin editor, I recruited Earl to
write a quarterly column called " Earl's Pearls. " It was the
most popular column in the magazine and brought
Earl recognition for his skill and insight. The PCSO
published a collection of the Pearls for the membership.
Earl served on the boards of the PCSO and California
Association of Orthodontists for several years.
A few years ago, he took a break from teaching at
UCSF and was tutoring math at the local middle
school. He welcomed his first grandchild and was able
to spend more time with family. However, he found
he missed the residents and, recently, UCSF Program
Director Dr. Christine Hong asked him to return to
teach biomechanics. I was so glad Earl was back in the
saddle.
Earl and I had been good friends since 1961, and I will
miss him so much. He will be remembered by dozens
of UCSF graduates and orthodontic colleagues.
Written by Dr. Gerald Nelson
San Francisco, CA
36
PCSO Bulletin Spring 2022
Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Spring 2022

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