Celebrating London Women's History

Carol Johnston was born in June 1932 and her family moved to Sudbury when she was still young. This is where she spent much of her childhood imagining and developing her creativity and work ethic. The words that characterized her life were “just do it.” It was her determination that allowed her to achieve all that she has. She met Charles Bernie Johnston in Grade 12 and they eventually married in 1953. She became the mother of Charles David, Jeffery Philip, Craig Matthew, Laura Myerling Isabel and Nancy Anne Beatrice. Her professional education was quite extensive as she received a degree from the Victoria School of Nursing in London, Ontario in 1953, her Certificate of Public Health Nursing in 1954 from the University of Western Ontario, and her Elementary Teacher Certification in 1972 from Elborn College at the University of Western Ontario. In 1971 she visited a Boston children’s museum and was fascinated. It became her desire to do the same for the London community. She took a course on Museology to learn how to set up and run a museum, and with some hard work and luck the London Regional Children’s Museum was opened 1982. It was a great success with over 100,000 people passing through the doors each year. Her desire to help children to become what they most desire has had a wonderful impact on the greater London community.