Richard W. Johnson ’56

Dick died June 2, 2024, in Fitchburg, Wis.

He came to Princeton from a high school in Big Lake, Minn., where he excelled as a scholar, athlete, and leader. He joined Cloister Club and majored in psychology while playing interclub football and basketball.

Dick married Adelle Claire Dowidat in Minneapolis in 1959 while earning a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Minnesota. He taught at several schools including the University of Wisconsin, Madison, from which he retired in 1997 as professor emeritus of counseling psychology and as director of training at the counseling service. Dick used his clinical experience to co-write a bestselling textbook on psychological assessment that went through multiple editions. Through all his time, he continued to play full-court basketball with a UW group three days a week.

Dick and his wife and children greatly enjoyed traveling, especially in the lands of their forebears in Norway, Sweden, Scotland, and England. He is survived by Adelle; their children, Cynthia Clare Ivy, Whitney Richard (Stephanie), Kara Marie (Christian Schmidt), and Amy Adelle (Pedro Sanctos); and eight grandchildren.