Former USA Archery president and Olympic judge Jane Johnson dies

USA Archery has announced the passing of the federation’s former president Jane Johnson earlier this week.

She was a lifelong volunteer in the States, acting as secretary, treasurer and president of the National Archery Association Foundation, as well as serving on the board of the National Archery Hall of Fame.

A secondary school maths teacher in Oklahoma City, Jane became an archery coach when the previous coach retired.

She reached the highest grade of coach accreditation in the USA, became a judge in 1984, was awarded the George Helwig JOAD Award by USA Archery in 2009 for her work teaching young people, and the national judge recognition award in 2017 for upholding the values of sportsmanship and fairplay.

The national federation is renaming the latter the Jane Johnson Distinguished Service Award in her honour.

“My resounding memory of Jane is as a judge during the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games,” said World Archery secretary general Tom Dielen. “She made a great contribution to the sport in many ways, especially as president of USA Archery, and she will be missed by many.”

USA Archery chief executive officer Rod Menzer added that, “Jane had the biggest heart, was always full of joy, and there are 1000s of archers, coaches and judges who share her passion for the sport because of her generosity, mentorship and dedication.”

Header image courtesy USA Archery.