FarmHouse - Washington State University

FarmHouse Almanac p . 2 K evin Johnson '84 hit the ground running as an undergraduate, holding the offices of so- cial chairman, vice president, president, rush chairman, and pledge trainer. Kevin's time at Farm- House was the best of his life. He takes great pride in the quality of men at FarmHouse, their commitment to values, and their true unification as brothers. "e men of FarmHouse took the time to sit down to din- ners as a group and even said grace before the meal. Values important to my family were upheld among FarmHouse members." Despite happy memories, Kevin and his brothers faced serious challenges at FarmHouse. As the first dry house on the WSU campus, with a membership of only 11 men, FarmHouse was ranked last in WSU fra- ternity grades when Kevin and Jeff Miner '84 took on the challenge of recruitment during their senior year. Kevin and Jeff found quality men, doubled the size of FarmHouse from 11 to 22, and reached the second place ranking in fraternity grades aer only one term. "We worked to find men with a vision for the future, who wanted to join a journey. We set our sights high and shared a vision of where we were going without any reservation about where we ranked." FarmHouse gave Kevin and many others the opportunity to develop dis- ciplined study ethics, responsible house management skills, and strong leadership qualities. "One of my undergraduate professors at WSU used to tell us, 'Don't let your classes get in the way of your education.' Farm- House provided us with a real education: people skills, interpersonal communication, leadership and the importance of working together. Looking back now I realize how my FarmHouse experiences helped in my professional maturation." Following the completion of his course work from WSU, Kevin took an unpaid internship with a parks department in Clallam County. Aer being promoted to programs specialist, he was responsible for a multimillion-dol- lar recreation facility and its associated program and then aer only a year in the field he was promoted to the district's assistant director. Kevin was recruited and returned to WSU as a faulty member in 1991 aer only three years working in the profession. He taught life guarding, water safety, and boating safety courses in the Department of Physical Education, Sports, and Leisure Studies. In addition to returning to WSU, Kevin also returned to FarmHouse as the live-in advisor. is opportunity provided Kevin with a second level of quality FarmHouse friendships and experiences. Aer a diverse career as an instructor at Washington State University for 12 years and a faculty member and coordinator of the University of Idaho accredited recreation program for eight years, becoming the editor and first author of the Encyclopedia of Aquatic Codes and Standards, and offering his services as legal consultant for water-related injury cases and risk as- sessment through his consulting firm (which he still does), it was time for a new challenge. Kevin operates a general contractor company in Pull- man, IDH Builders Inc./It's Done Honey Renovation LLC. Kevin has yet again returned to FarmHouse as the contractor for FarmHouse's recent house renova- tion projects. He makes a point of hiring active Farm- House members onto his staff, creating a third level of FarmHouse friendships. "I am proud to see the same quality men at FarmHouse as when I was an under- graduate. I couldn't complete all of my projects with- out the committed FarmHouse members on my staff." Kevin remains close friends with Gary Stuckle '85, Jeff Miner '84, Trent Amonett '87, John Semrau '84, and Devin Dekker '85. He sees other brothers at WSU games, but would love to see more engagement from alumni who are around his age. Kevin urges alumni brothers to connect with him on Facebook, contact him when they are in the Pullman area, and even no- tify him if they are interested in a reunion. "I want to show alumni the chapter house so they can see what looks great and what still needs alumni support. I understand people get busy, but with FarmHouse it's easy to pick up where you le off." Above all, Kevin is a committed and quality father. He and his wife, Karen, have two children, Kurtis (11) and Karli Anna (9). Kevin devotes free time to activities like swimming, hiking, and bike rides with his kids. E-mail: aquaproklh@aol.com Kevin Johnston '84 Advances FarmHouse Improvements How Kevin's Journey Continuously Leads Him Back to FarmHouse FarmHouse supports the Delta Delta Delta philanthropy.

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