January 5, 2010
Lesley Johnstone, Professor Emeritus of English at California State University, Northridge, died on August 7, 2010. Lesley was born on October 9, 1935 in Shillong, Assam, India, where her father managed a tea estate. The family returned to Scotland in 1937, and she later completed her education at Cambridge University in 1962. She was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in English literature from Cambridge University. After a brief teaching stint at the University of Nebraska, Lesley accepted a position at California State University, Northridge in 1965. In 1987 she received a distinguished teaching award in recognition of her excellence in teaching and her mentorship of students. In addition to her academic career, she was very active in animal rescue work, becoming the inspiration for the Good Samaritan Program at Pet Medical Centers of West Hills, Chatoak, and Sunland. Services were held on August 14, 2010 at Bastian and Perrott Mortuary Chapel. Donations may be made to Living-Free Animal Sanctuary on their web site or via the mailing address at P.O. Box 5, Mountain Center, CA 92561. Donations also may be made to support the English Faculty Scholarship, which is designed to support student success and to honor the memories of colleagues in the English Department. Checks can be made to CSUN Foundation, with English Faculty Scholarship on the memo line, and sent to the Department of English, California State University, Northridge.