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Name: Kelly G. Johnson
Spouse:
Address
DECEASED 2018,
Phone Number
Email Address
Personal Website http://www.Kellyjohnson.com

Class of

1960 Attended from Freshman through Senior

Graduated Here?

Yes   

If graduated elsewhere, graduated from:

College Attended:

University of Florida
     
Birthdate: June 18, 1942   
Date of Death: May 7, 2018  
       

Current Occupation:

 

Notes:

Kelly Johnson passed away in an assisted death at age 75 on Monday May 7, 2018 at his longtime home, which was the top flat in a 3-story Victorian on Fillmore Street in San Francisco, California. He was born June 18, 1942 to Harold K. and Winona G. (Blanchard) Johnson of R.R. #4, Columbia City, Indiana.

Kelly grew up on a farm east of Columbia City, Indiana, the son of a confirmed stage mother. She pushed Kelly and his sister Connie to become child performers on the vaudeville circuit. In addition to his talents as a tap dancer and pianist, he was also an acrobat and a contortionist.

Kelly attended the University of Florida before moving to San Francisco in 1963 for his job with International Harvester Company. He started going to a dance studio for exercise and in 1970 ended up marrying the instructor, Penelope Lagios. He raised her 6 year-old daughter, Leda, as his own. Kelly and Penelope later divorced.

His sister Connie was born in 1940, attended Northwestern University, married and died at age 52. Kelly and Connie are not believed to have performed together after high school.

Surviving is his daughter Leda Meredith. He was predeceased by his father in 1981 at age 63, his mother in 2009 at age 91 and his sister Connie Cataldo in 1993.

From Kelly's website, which is being preserved as a memorial:

I was born in the farming community of Columbia City, Indiana in 1942. I began my theatrical career at the age of 6 as a part of a brother/sister vaudeville team in the Chicago (Tri-State) area on the roster of the Durbin Theatrical Agency, where I performed as a tap dancer, acrobat, and contortionist.

As is often the case with child performers this was a mixed bag. I loved performing and I got to participate in the very end of the era of big theaters and big bands. And while I'm very grateful for the experience, the down side was that I had little to no childhood and virtually no friends.

1960's-early 1980's: My days at San Francisco Dance Theater represented an era and a lifestyle for me. It began in the 60s as did so much in San Francisco. Along with my former wife Penelope Lagios, we developed a chamber ballet-based company with a large school (at one time we had 1400 registered students). We also had a Junior Division under the direction of Jody White that trained young people not only in dance but other theater arts. My daughter Leda Meredith, who has had an exciting dance career, was a participant in this division.

There was a real "dance boom" in the 1970's and I was right in the middle of it. Along with dancer/teacher/choreographer Margaret Jenkins, I helped for the SF Bay Area Dance Coalition, an umbrella organization that sought to give dance a greater voice and increased funding in the SF Bay Area. I credit my friend Michaela Cassidy who volunteered with the Dance Coalition for getting the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts dance theater built.

I was an active force in the arts community and served on a number of boards of directors. I look back on those times as some of the most exciting in my life.

Mid 1980's-Late 1990's: From 1984 through 1997 I was the Executive Director of the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra in Berkeley, California. The orchestra had fallen on hard times and I was recruited to try to resuscitate it. It was the beginning of Kent Nagano's conducting career and the orchestra had a lot of very dedicated musicians.

When I started we were six weeks out from a major project with Frank Zappa and were in way over our heads. We began a major overhaul of the organization while trying to keep our current commitments. The community rallied around the orchestra and it became a major success and asset to Berkeley. We presented many significant premiers over the years, and Kent Nagano went on to become an international superstar.

1990-2015: From the time I was 5 years old, the only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to play the piano. I'm an old man now, might just as well start on my childhood dream.

In my days at the Berkeley Symphony I was surrounded by musicians but I I wasn't one of them. My days as a pianist were before me. I developed a circuit of upscale retirement communities who appreciated classical music and hired me. I produced my first album - The Great Romantics, Vol. 1.

I took my CD's and went on the road. I worked primarily in California from Napa down through San Jose. The performances were successful and I often scheduled multiple performances for the same venue per year. At my peak I was doing 120 performances a year. This was a happy time for me.

2015-2018: Recording all original compositions for ballet classes for a CD. The CD was sold on my website and also introduced at a dance festival April 2018.
 
Last Updated: 05-14-2018 Alumni ID: 13517
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