Larry Johannessen
Larry R. Johannessen was an American educator, academic, and author.
Early life and military service
Johannessen was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. When he registered for classes in high school, his counselor enrolled him in the vocational curriculum based on his address in the working-class section of his community. Johannessen elected to leave high school before graduating and enlisted in the U.S. Marines Corps, joining the same unit in which his father had served: B Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division. Johannessen served two tours of duty in Vietnam. As a Marine, he was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation with one star, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with three stars, the Good Conduct Medal, and the Rifle Marksman Badge. He left the service with an honorable discharge in 1968 at the rank of Sergeant.Education
Upon leaving the Marines, Johannessen earned his G.E.D. and entered Ohlone College, a two-year college in Fremont, California, from which he graduated with an A.A. with honors in 1973. He transferred to California State University, Hayward, receiving his B.A. in 1975, graduating magna cum laude. From there Johannessen earned his M.A.T. in 1976 in English Education from the University of Chicago, the program run by George Hillocks Jr. At the University of Chicago, he met Elizabeth Kahn, whom he married. They had been married for 27 years at the time of Johannessen's death. Johannessen began working on his doctoral studies in 1983 at the University of Chicago, again under the mentorship of Hillocks. He completed his degree in 1997.Career
Johannessen taught high school English at Lyons Township High School in La Grange, Illinois, from 1976 to 1989. While a doctoral student he began teaching at universities, including Saint Xavier University in Chicago, Benedictine University in Lisle, IL, and Barat College in Lake Forest, IL. In 2001, he became an assistant professor of English at Northern Illinois University. During his career at NIU, he served as director of undergraduate studies and was promoted to the rank of full professor in 2007.Johannessen died on April 21, 2009, at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, of complications related to a blood disorder, myelodysplastic syndrome.