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Dr. Helen Presley Johnston

When Dr. Helen Presley Johnston, better known as “Dr. Helen,” died on June 2, the Nashville medical community lost one of its staunchest supporters and a long-serving pioneer.

Born in Scottsboro, Ala., on Nov. 28, 1911, Johnston’s schoolteachers knew early on she was destined for a brilliant career. After graduating valedictorian of her high school class, she moved to Nashville to attend Vanderbilt University as one of the school’s few female students. At Vanderbilt Medical School, Johnston, a member of the elite Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, finished second in her class, though some say she might have actually finished first. “I never heard Mother reference the gender barriers,” said her son, Lee. “It was something Dad would describe, particularly in the spirit of describing a few individuals who were in Mother’s court. Dad would brag mostly about how she was always in bed at her ritual 10 p.m., while others would be up cramming.” Johnston was the last surviving member of the class of 1935.

After interning at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York, Johnston returned to Vanderbilt to complete her pediatric training, and made history as the first female to serve on the medical school’s house staff.

In 1936, she married Leland Johnston, and the couple moved to Ann Arbor, Mich., where she led the allergy department for the University of Michigan. Two years later, the couple relocated to New York, where Leland recovered from a relapse of tuberculosis at Morris Chest Disease Hospital.

When Leland’s health improved, the Johnstons mulled their next move. Seeing a need for medical care in Jackson, Tenn., the couple moved to the small city located near Memphis in 1942 and established Jackson Clinic and founded the Jackson Madison County General Hospital. Local folks admired “Dr. Helen” for her gentle and kind nature, saying she never refused to answer a house call regardless of the time of day or night, and that she never turned away a patient because of their inability to pay for medical services.

Johnston retired from the pediatric practice in 1954 to devote her full attention to raising the couple’s three children — Annie, Bill and Lee — and volunteering in the community. She was honored as Altrusa Club Woman of the Year in 1986 for her tireless commitment to various organizations, including The Salvation Army, American Red Cross, March of Dimes, Girl Scouts, Madison County Department of Human Services, Youth Town of Tennessee and the Western Mental Health Institute. She was a frequent visitor to area nursing homes and shut-ins in the community, providing medical services — and company — to appreciative elderly and handicapped patients. “Alberta, who worked in our home, knew Mother very well,” recalled Lee. “I remember Alberta always saying, ‘Whew Lordy, that woman does not know how to stop ‘til she falls in her bed at night.”

Johnston died peacefully at the age of 95 in her home at Alterra Clare Bridge in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, preceded in death by her husband. A memorial service, officiated by Dr. Susan Sharpe and Rev. Ted Leach, was held on June 10 in the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church in Jackson, Tenn.

Johnston is survived by her children — Annie Lewis Garda of Chapel Hill; Dr. Bill Johnston of Nashville, who also studied at Vanderbilt Medical School; and Dr. Lee Johnston of Boulder, Colorado — and eight grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.

In her last great selfless act of kindness, Johnston donated her body to the Duke University Medical School for medical science research, and requested memorials to be directed to the Johnston Scholarship Fund at Lambuth University, 705 Lambuth Boulevard, Jackson, Tenn., 38301.

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