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Johnson was also the city's first black female principal and assistant superintendent. The Geraldine Johnson School was named in honor because of the impact she had on the city's schools, and at the time was the only school in Bridgeport named after a living person.
Johnson was born in 1919 and grew up in Bridgeport’s East End where she attended Bridgeport Normal School, McKinley and Harding High, and later New Haven Teachers College (now Southern Connecticut State University) in 1940. She received her master’s degree from New York University and her sixth-year degree from the University of Bridgeport, according to Connecticut Post.
Although teaching was her true passion, Johnson also was an accomplished cellist and pianist who was a member of the Connecticut Symphony, said the Connecticut Post.
In addition to her many accomplishments, Johnson also served on the state Board of Parole, was a lifelong member of the NAACP, and served on boards of directors of the Bridgeport Hospital, Golden Hill United Methodist Church, People’s bank, United Illuminating, Connecticut Educational Television, the YWCA, the University of Bridgeport and ABCD, added the Connecticut Post.
She was also named one of the state’s most influential women, Connecticut Woman of the Year by the National Council of Negro Women and received the Urban Service Award from the U.S. Office of Economic Activities, said the Connecticut post.
Survivors include her daughter, Adrienne Farrar Houel, who is president and CEO of the Greater Bridgeport Community Enterprises Inc., and her sister, Laurayne Farrar-James.
Plans for services have not been announced.Click here to read the full story on the Connecticut Post.
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