The Mysterious Man Behind the Emails: A Profile of Jerry Johnson

Many Luther students are familiar with the name Jerry Johnson from the signature at the end of mass emails regarding campus-wide issues such as moving cars for snow removal or emergency test messages. However, students know little else about him and what exactly he does at Luther. Who is the mysterious man behind the emails?

Jerry’s official title is Director of the Public Information Office. The Public Information Office is responsible for media relations at Luther, particularly the distribution of campus-wide notifications and press releases for events and programs. They produce a weekly e-newsletter which is distributed to parents and alumni. They also produce the “Tuesday,” a faculty newsletter distributed every week on — you guessed it — Tuesdays.

“Essentially, we are a communications and marketing resource for anyone on campus,” Jerry said.

A graduate of Ohio State University, Jerry worked for 14 years as a newspaper reporter and editor before taking the Public Information position at Luther in 1987. When he is not dedicating his time to his work at Luther, he enjoys spending time with his family.

Jerry and and his wife of 39 years, Patti, enjoy bicycling, hiking and snowshoeing in the winter. He also likes to fish, hunt and train hunting dogs on his 50 acres of land. A child of the 1960s, Jerry is a fan of classic rock and has never met a pizza he didn’t like.

Brittany Buczek (‘10), who works with Jerry in Photo Bureau, describes him as a serious individual, joking that he is “never” sarcastic. She feels that every day is like an adventure when working for Jerry. Brittany believes that as a student photographer, one must always put forth their best effort for each assignment.

“Letting Jerry down is like letting down your dad,” Buczek said.

Jerry admits that he can be intimidating to new students at first, but it’s really all in good fun. He jokingly tells his students he doesn’t want to see anyone having any fun on the job. Students usually give him a strange look and it takes them a few weeks to figure out his humor.

“Then they start to have fun against my odds of trying to make them miserable here,” Johnson said.

Jerry has loved writing ever since his days at Ohio State.

“During your college years, you are inevitably going to stumble across something you love. One day you are going to wake up and say, ‘man that was incredible, that was so exciting’,” Jerry said.

Jerry’s passion for writing brought him to Decorah early in his life, where he worked for the Decorah newspapers. He wrote some stories about Luther, and one of the vice presidents of Luther at the time contacted him asking if he would be interested in taking the Public Information position for the interim year. He was also a sports information director for four years and the development communications director before returning to his position as director of Public Information, where he has been ever since.

Jerry’s advice for students seeking to sharpen their writing skills is to take advantage of the many educational opportunities at Luther, such as writing for the Public Information Office. He feels writing has become a lost art that is becoming more and more important due to a switch to web-based communication. Jerry advises that people who have the ability to communicate effectively will be able to get good work positions throughout their life.

Luckily for his student employees, Jerry isn’t going anywhere. Hannah Brandvold (‘11), who works with the Public Information Office’s Video Bureau, agrees that Jerry is an asset to the work environment.

“Jerry is just Jerry. You will say something and he always comes back with a witty comment,” Brandvold said. “I love my job. I feel really lucky to have him as a supervisor.”

Jerry’s passion for his work is contagious and he encourages students to chase their dreams.

“Your life plans can change in a minute,” he said. “When you find something you really want to do, do it.”