Dr. Alan M. Johnson, professor emeritus and former chair of UALR’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics, died Wednesday, June 6, at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center after a year-long illness. He was 73.

“From my first day on campus, Alan has been friend, colleague, mentor and advisor,” said Dr. Tom McMillan, current chair of the department. “His wonderful, slightly offbeat sense of humor and his compassion and care for students and colleagues made it a joy to be with him. Alan’s visits to the department always brightened my day. Even if I had “tons” of work to do, his visits would always end too soon, and I hated to see him leave. I will miss him very much.”

A memorial service will be at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 9, at Roller-Chenal Funeral Home Chapel. A reception will follow at the funeral home’s Garden Room.

Johnson, who served as chair from 1980 to 1987 and again in 2005 to 2006, joined UALR in July 1980 as an associate professor of mathematics from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, La.

A native of Spadra, Ark., Johnson earned a B.A. degree in mathematics with a minor in physics and a M.S. in mathematics from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He also earned a Ph.D. in statistics from Texas A&M University.

He is survived by his wife, Bonita Rachel Johnson, three daughters and their families, and a brother.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Dr. Alan M. Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund at the UALR Office of Development.