Later Life
Adjusting
After graduating high school and returning back to the US for college, James does not recall having a "culture shock". Although he did note many obvious differences in the ways he and his friends grew up, he had a very smooth transition into his collegiate years, and in his words he "goes with the flow".
Moving Around
He attended Saint Olaf College in Minnesota and found his passion for physics. He met his wife, Kathy Johnson, the fall of his senior year. He then attended grad school at Stanford and got his PHD in physics. He then worked at a lab near Chicago for three years where his son and daughter, Erik and Linnea were born.
From 1974-1976 James Johnson and the family of four lived in Wellesley, Massachusetts. He commuted into Boston for work for two years as an assistant professor of physics at Northeastern University.
Linnea, James, Kathy and Erik Johnson
Happily Ever After
In 1976, he moved the family to California and started working in a physics research program for the University of Wisconsin using the facilities at the Stanford Linear Accelerator. He raised two children in San Jose, California where he and his wife Kathy still live today.
Russell, James, and Erik Johnson