MMH employee’s ‘greatest joy’ is knowing she’s helping people
Midland Memorial Hospital clinical laboratory scientist Ann Johnson has turned her job into her hobby, she said.
Johnson switched from working full time to part time two years ago and continues to love her work, she said.
“It’s the only thing I want to do,” she said. “I love putting the tubes in the machine and looking at the results. Reporting them out and calling the doctors or nurses. I feel like it is a help to the patients and that’s my greatest joy: to know that I am doing something to help somebody.”
Johnson’s 60th anniversary of working at MMH was Wednesday, her day off. Her coworkers celebrated the milestone on Tuesday with a cake in the shape of 60. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the celebration had a different look. Johnson’s coworkers lined up outside the breakroom to celebrate and then received cake one at a time when they took their lunch break.
About making it to her 60th work anniversary, Johnson said she is “grateful, grateful, grateful. I’m so grateful and thankful for the people that I work with. I couldn’t do it without them. They are so helpful.”
Johnson knew she wanted to be a laboratory tech before she knew what a laboratory tech actually was. When she was 13 years old, she heard the job name and decided that is what she wanted to be.
“I had no idea what it was at first, but the more I learned about it the more I learned that’s what I wanted to be,” he said. “I didn’t know how I was going to become one, but I knew I had to have a science degree.”
Johnson grew up in Reform, Alabama. Her parents didn’t have any formal education, but her father was determined that his children would be educated. He saved money when he could to buy land, accumulated 900 acres around Alabama to log and pay for his children’s education.
“The timber from that land paid for our college education,” she said.
Johnson moved to Midland in 1960 after graduating from Tuskegee University with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry.
Shortly after moving here, she married Lorenzo C. Johnson, whom she met while in college. The couple had three children; two are still living. Her daughter lives in Midland and looks after her “dutifully.” Johnson, who is a widow, is involved with Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, where she serves as secretary for mission and for the choir, in which see sings.
Johnson said she was the first Black student to attend Midland Memorial’s med tech school, which was on the hospital’s premises. She said the late Dr. Viola Coleman helped her get into the school, where she later taught.
“I have taught many students and I’ve gained lots of friendships,” she said. “And I have seen many, many changes over the years.”
She said the hospital and technology have changed but the people have stayed the same.
“The hospital has grown, it’s much bigger and the work has grown,” she said. “The technology has improved and changed a lot. The people are about the same. They are friendly and helpful.”