Willard Johnson, Directed Planned Parenthood, Dies

Willard L. Johnson, an international advocate of population growth controls, died at his Hillcrest home last week. He was 80.

Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. July 6 at First Unitarian Church, 4190 Front St. Johnson, who had lived in San Diego County for 20 years, was a former executive director of Planned Parenthood of San Diego and a past president of the United Nations Assn. of San Diego.

After his retirement in 1970, he formed and operated the Population Information Center from his home.

Johnson was active in a number of international movements seeking peace and solutions to world hunger. After World War II, he served as a consultant to the U.S. State Department in Germany and later served as secretary-general to the Council on World Tensions of the World Brotherhood with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

In 1958, he returned to the United States to become president of the Committee for International Economic Growth in Washington, then returned to Europe to become mission chief and international liaison for CARE in Berlin and Geneva.

In 1962 he served as executive director of the Unitarian-Universalist Service Committee in Boston and later became executive director of the American Freedom from Hunger Foundation in Washington.

Johnson was the author of numerous articles and books dealing with human relations, foreign aid and trade, world hunger, international development, nutrition, mental health, population and family planning. He also was a popular lecturer, giving thousands of talks in Europe and the United States.

He is survived by his wife, Marjorie, of San Diego; a daughter, Miriam Johnson Breaux of Bonita; a son, Willard Jr. of Vista; two sisters; a brother, and two granddaughters.