A Life Dedicated to the Study of History and the Hearts of His Students
The Hope College community is deeply mourning the loss of Professor Fred Johnson III, a beloved history department faculty member, who passed away peacefully Feb. 27 after suffering a cardiac arrest last week.
Dr. Johnson was the Guy Vander Jagt ’53 Professor of History at Hope College, where
he taught since 2000. He is remembered as a scholar, a writer and an award-winning
public speaker, and all understood that his greatest passion was teaching. His primary
field of study was 19th century U.S. history, specifically, the Civil War. His other
areas of expertise were 20th century U.S. history, U.S. military history and African
history. He was also a published author and a gifted orator, having been a semifinalist
twice in the Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking.
“Dr. Johnson was a giant of a man whose life shaped countless individuals. His absence will be felt in ways that are hard to put into words. He taught us history and in doing so became an enduring part of ours,” said Hope College President Matt Scogin. “He loved being in a classroom and his impact on generations of Hope students runs deep. Above all, his life was defined by an unwavering commitment to follow Jesus Christ and reflect God’s love for others.”
Over his 20 years teaching at Hope — in classrooms and abroad, traveling with students to learn about other cultures — he was also an active faculty member for the Hope-Western Prison Education Program. He was inspired by these students, teaching many classes at the Muskegon Correctional Facility for incarcerated men. During an oral history video he participated in, he reflected on that work. “These men come to class ready to work, their minds are open and they want to pull anything from you that they can. As a professor and teacher, that’s called, ‘having a really good day.’”
That wasn’t surprising coming from Dr. Johnson, who knew his work was part of a calling and his mission to serve Christ. “Honoring God in your work means that you bring an attitude and intent for excellence in everything you do,” he shared during a 2023 presentation with the college’s Boerigter Center for Calling and Career. “I enjoy teaching students and for the college but ultimately everything I do is in service of my master.”
Dr. Stephen Maiullo, dean of arts and humanities at Hope College said, “Today is indeed a very sad day. He lived and breathed history, and taught our students in Holland and in Muskegon to reckon honestly with history, especially the long shadow of slavery, and to strive to preserve our republic.” Maiullo added that Dr. Johnson pursued the Christian liberal arts “with every fiber of his being and enriched the intellectual life of our college, especially the arts and humanities. We deeply grieve his loss, but will honor his legacy.”
Dr. Johnson graduated from Bowie State College with a bachelor’s degree in history and teacher education. Later, he went on to complete his master’s and doctorate degrees at Kent State University. He also completed his Master’s of Divinity at Western Theological Seminary in 2015.
Prior to his career in higher education, Dr. Johnson served 12 years in the United States Marine Corps as a Communications-Electronics Officer and as an Infantry Officer in the Marine Reserves. He subsequently worked as a production scheduler for Packard — Electric Division of General Motors, an operations specialist for Con-Tel Page Telecommunications, and as a corporate trainer for Aircraft Braking Systems (formerly Goodyear Aerospace) in Akron, Ohio. Dr. Johnson had run for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008 and 2010.
In 2019, Johnson was awarded the Medal of Honor from the Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton Chapter (in Holland, Mich.) by the National Society Daughters of American Revolution (DAR). It is among the highest honors awarded by the DAR, and was presented to Johnson in recognition of his dedication to “making positive change in our country.”
The Hope campus community is hosting a memorial service to honor the life of Dr. Fred L. Johnson III on Friday, March 13, 2026, at 2 p.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel. The campus and community are invited to attend.