Duane Johnson

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Duane P. Johnson began his career as the Extension Agent for Multnomah County in 1959. While stationed in Multnomah County, he was primarily responsible for the 4-H activities and did some work with livestock and agriculture. Johnson worked with a variety of programs that reached the diverse interests of Multnomah County to draw in the youth participation in 4-H.

After returning from graduate school in 1970, Johnson came to work at OSU’s Corvallis campus as a Specialist with the Animal Science and Horticulture programs. As the 4-H Youth Development Specialist, Johnson had a strong focus on educational materials, ensuring that that the activities he worked with were the best for the program. In 1980, Johnson accepted the position of Assistant Director for the State 4-H program, where he assisted in the administration of many programs, such as the 4-H Community Pride/Community Service project and the 4-H Ambassador Program. He was promoted to Acting Program Leader in 1982 and to the State 4-H Leader in 1983. Johnson remained at this position until 1990, when he returned to working as a Specialist.

Johnson retired in 2000 with 41 years of experience in the Oregon Extension Service and an Emeritus appointment. He is still involved the 4-H Foundation, Kiwanis Key Club, Pacific International Livestock Expositions, and has served as President of Epsilon Sigma Phi, the Extension professionals association.

He has authored and coauthored many publications, including Leader Attitudes of Area Organization (1970), 4-H Leather Craft (1973), 4-H Sheep Manual (1977), 4-H Sheep Project (1978), Beef Production for Small Farms (1981), and Oregon 4-H Dairy Advancement Program (1993).

Duane Johnson was born in 1937 in Wadena, Minnesota. He earned a B.S in Farm Operation and Vocational Education from Iowa State College (1959) and an M.A. in Adult Education from Colorado State University (1970).