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Glenn Johnson, ‘voice of the Cougs,’ appointed to Community Colleges of Spokane board of trustees

Glenn Johnson poses for a photo in 2003, when he ran unopposed to be mayor of Pullman. Johnson, the longtime Washington State football announcer known as “the voice of the Cougs,” has been appointed to the board of trustees of the Community Colleges of Spokane. (Rajah Bose / The Spokesman-Review)
By Chad Sokol chadso@spokesman.com(509) 459-5047

Glenn Johnson, the four-term mayor of Pullman and college football announcer known as “the voice of the Cougs,” has been appointed to the board of trustees of the Community Colleges of Spokane.

Gov. Jay Inslee tapped Johnson to replace Greg Bever, a former Spokesman-Review operations manager who served on the board of trustees for more than a decade. Terms on the board last five years.

“Community Colleges of Spokane takes pride in serving the Spokane community as well as in our six rural education centers across the region – including our growing Pullman campus,” the district’s chancellor, Christine Johnson, said in a statement. “We are honored to welcome Glenn Johnson to our board and know he will bring his strong knowledge of education and his commitment to serving the region to this important position.”

For nearly 38 years, Johnson’s booming voice has been a fixture of Washington State football and men’s basketball games. He’s also a professor emeritus from WSU’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, where he taught courses in television news, media management and public speaking.

Before Johnson earned a doctorate in mass communications from the University of Iowa, he earned an associate degree from Modesto Junior College in California.

“I look back at my community college education and my AA degree as the foundation to whatever success I have found in life,” he said in a statement. “I had great professors who sincerely cared about their students. I even kept in touch with several of those great teachers when I taught at WSU. Not only was I a recipient of a great education, but I was able to give back by teaching one evening course every semester at Sacramento City College while I managed a couple of radio stations in Sacramento.”

Johnson was first elected mayor of Pullman in 2004. He spoke at a grand opening last year after budget constraints forced Spokane Falls Community College to move its Pullman branch onto the WSU campus.