Passage courtesy of Tucson High Badger Foundation:
Harry B. Johnson is a native Arizonan, born in Bisbee on August 15, 1926. He attended schools in Tucson, graduating from Tucson High School mid-year of 1945. He received both his B.S. and M.Ed. degrees at the U of A. He was employed by the Tucson Unified School District for 34 years, serving as P.E. teacher, coach, department chairman, athletic director, dean of boys, and assistant principal. He worked in four schools, Mansfeld Jr. High and Tucson, Pueblo and Sahuaro high schools.
Harry served six years on the Board of the Tucson High Badger Foundation—filling the posts of treasurer, secretary and president. He was so impressed that he went back to Sahuaro High and working with David Aschraft and Ann Grosse initiated the Sahuaro Cougar Foundation, using all he had learned from John Barringer and the Badger Foundation. Harry is sure that the “Sahuaro–ites” got sick of hearing how the Badger Foundation did it, but the model served Sahuaro well. He was a founding member and served on the board as treasurer, secretary, and president and was chairman of Sahuaro’s “Silver Celebration.”
In 1983, when Harry retired, the Sahuaro High School Student Council honored him by establishing the Harry Johnson Cougar Spirit Award to recognize the student who best exemplifies “The Cougar Spirit.” He was inducted into the Sahuaro High Cougar Foundation Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Tucson High Badgers Hall of Fame in 1996.
Harry passed away in March 2015.