It is with sadness that we report the death of Eileen Johnson (Figure 1), whom many members will remember with great affection. The Sylvia Townsend Warner Society owes a great debt to Eileen. She was one of the group who founded it back in 2000 and she served as its Secretary from 2000 to 2009 and Chair from 2009 to 2016. As a teacher of English literature, she used her extensive knowledge to bring the Society to the attention of a wider audience, explaining in various publications the importance of Warner’s work and why she admired it. Members who attended the Society’s gatherings in those early years were always greeted with warmth and friendliness by Eileen. She certainly helped to make the Society the welcoming organisation that it is today.
Figure 1. Eileen Johnson (Source: photo by permission of Judith Bond).
Note on contributor
Judith Bond has been a member of the Sylvia Townsend Warner Society since its inception in 2000. She was Membership Secretary and Treasurer for 15 years and constructed the database for the Warner-Ackland Archive in the Dorset County Museum, a task which took five years to complete. She now lives in Cornwall.