Elma McBride Johnson
June 19, 1932 ~ June 6, 2008
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
Asheville ~ Elma McBride Johnson, 76 of Holly Ridge Drive, Asheville died on June 6, 2008.
She was born in Sylvania, Georgia and was the daughter of the late Jessie and Mable McBride. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Margaret Virginia Johnson; a brother, Jack McBride and a nephew, Darryl McBride.
The Johnson's moved to Asheville in 1971 and Elma taught ceramics at the Newfound School for two years. She then developed the ceramics department at the Uni-versity of North Carolina at Asheville. She was an amazingly versatile artist and taught classes in weaving, papermaking, jewelry and glass as well as ceramics. As an artist she was never content just to do good work - she was always pushing the envelope, looking for new ways to innovate or combine materials.
In 1991 Elma became the first North Carolina college professor to receive the Governors Award in the Arts and Sciences. Her work has been exhibited in many museums and galleries across the south east and can be found in the collections of a number of museums, but for Elma, her students always came first and many ceramic artists attribute their success to her devotion. As head of the ceramics department at UNCA for twenty four years, she inspired her students with her self reliance and determination. She was the teacher that they always knew they could count on to go the extra mile for them.
When Elma retired from teaching she became an avid gardner with a special passion for bamboo, and as in her art, she never took the easy path. She learned all she could about propagation and always had a wide array of cuttings and seedlings to give to friends and neighbors.
She is survived by her husband of 54 years, Marvin Johnson of Asheville; a son, David Brian Johnson of New York, NY; six sisters, Lois M. Brant of Macon, Georgia, Nell Ezelle and husband Jim of Savannah, Georgia, Ude M. Cavenaugh and husband Jim of North Augusta, South Carolina, Priscilla M. Grizzle of Edwardsville, Illinois, Ann M. Thompson and husband Glenn of Sylvania, Georgia and Dean M. Lowe and husband Mike of Tybee Island, Georgia; four brothers, Bob McBride and wife Linda of Sylvania, Georgia, Lahue McBride and wife Pat of Au-gusta, Georgia; Lester McBride and wife June of Girard, Georgia and Dennis McBride and wife Linda of Sylvania, Georgia.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on Tuesday in the chapel of Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian on Long Shoals Road.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Alzheimer's Association ~ Western Caro-lina Chapter, 31 College Place, Suite D320 Asheville, NC 28801-2644, The Salvation Army
PO Box 1778 Asheville, NC 28802 or to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
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I remember Elma with only fondness and humor. She was always warm and engaging with me, from my first days as a new faculty member many years ago, and kept alive my ‘other’ love, art (I’m a professor of psychology at UNCA). I also remember vividly her daughter Ginger, a bright and intense young woman I liked immensely and who was a student in my first Close Relationships class. Ginger and I corresponded briefly after she completed the course, and I was devastated by her untimely death. At Ginger’s memorial, Elma introduced me to other family members, with great kindness (and exaggeration), as ‘Ginger’s favorite professor.’ Much later, Elma paid me the great (and unrealistic) compliment of asking me to model a rather brief satin work of ‘art clothing’ in a ‘wearable fashion’ show she was assembling. I declined, claiming not as nice a figure as she credited me with, but I never forgot her kindness and the funny but genuine flattery of her offer. Over the years I admired her work, commiserated with her about the many woes and frustrations of teaching, as well as celebrated the great triumphs, joys, laughs, and accomplishments of ourselves, our colleagues, and especially our students. Elma made an impression on me as a teacher and a person, and I will never forget her kindness, talent, and humor. My sincere sympathy with all those who loved her. How fortunate I feel to have known her.