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Clarence E. Johnson, January 1944

Clarence Johnson (Jan 44)Clarence (Lefty) got his start in leadership as vice president of his Taft senior class.

After service in the Navy, a business administration degree, and a stint as a special agent in the FBI, he joined Borg-Warner, a Fortune 500 company. Over the next 34 years, he rose through the company’s ranks, heading various divisions, ending as its president and chief executive officer.

In 1987, he joined the investment banking firm of Kidder, Peabody & Co., where he served as senior vice president and then as consultant before his retirement in the mid-1990s.

In addition, Clarence has served as a trustee for the Field Museum and Chicago’s Fourth Presbyterian Church, as a director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the boards of numerous companies.