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Ann Johnston '76
Ann has been an animal lover from her earliest years. The Johnston household took in many and varied pets, from cats and dogs to lambs. At the age of 5, Ann took her first horseback-riding lesson at the Palmer River Riding Academy, just down the street from her home. As a teenager, Ann initiated her own equestrian internship, exercising racehorses at the Rehoboth Training Farm. Ann was a serious student from the day she entered school. Aside from a stint as the equipment manager of the basketball team, her high-school years revolved around academics and horses. A self-proclaimed bookworm, she felt misunderstood and isolated. Her peers took school and learning less seriously than she did, chiding her for spending an inordinate amount of time reading. But several high-school teachers were supportive of Ann's academic leanings. She was particularly inspired by her Latin teacher, who was infectiously enthusiastic. Ann graduated from Dighton Rehoboth Regional High School in 1972. When Ann entered Wellesley College, she found herself surrounded by women who shared her love of learning. Yet, as a first-year student, she realized that her rural high school hadn't effectively prepared her for Wellesley College's academic rigors. In particular, she lacked exposure to the classics. Professor of Economics Marshall Goldman realized that Ann was in over her head. During a casual conversation, he suggested a reading list for her, including the works of Aristotle, Plato, Cicero, and Hobbes. Ann spent her spare time churning through that list, and by her sophomore year she felt that she was on an even footing with her classmates. As the "seat behind the stroke," Ann was a member of Wellesley's varsity crew team throughout her Wellesley years. She graduated from Wellesley in 1976 with a double-major in political science and economics. After graduation, Ann left for New York City, where she worked for two years as a paralegal for the Wall Street law firm Sullivan and Cromwell. The experience confirmed her desire to be an attorney, but she realized that she didn't like living in New York. She returned to Boston, where she entered Suffolk University Law School. Ann commented that "after Wellesley, law school was very manageable." At Wellesley, she had learned to "read, memorize, integrate, and extrapolate," an essential arsenal of skills for success in law school. She made Law Review, earned the Civil Procedure Award, and won the Moot Court Brief Competition. She was granted her law degree in 1982. In 1997, she formed a private law practice, originally in Medway, Mass., now located in Worcester, Mass. In 1996, during her tenure as assistant district attorney, Ann learned that she had multiple sclerosis. She had attributed the physical problems she was experiencing to her "being a clutz." But when she began suffering from bouts of shaking and sudden vision changes, she embarked on a series of medical consultations, which culminated in the diagnosis of M.S. Still an avid horseback rider, Ann has found just the right horse, one that tolerates her physical issues. She continues to ride about four times per week, an activity which her doctor believes has kept her fluid and free from needing a wheelchair thus far. Ann's approach to the challenge of M.S., like the previous challenges in her life, is to find a way to fix problems and to avoid "whining and dwelling on what I can't do." She chairs the accessibility committee at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Grafton, Mass. Attorney Ann E. Johnston lives in North Grafton, Mass., and plans to attend her 25th Reunion this year. Written by Mur Wolf
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Wellesley
Person of the Week Ann E. "A.J." Johnston '76 was born
on March 28, 1954, in Niles, Ohio. Her family settled in Rehoboth,
Mass., where, Ann recalls, "there were more cows than people."
Her parents still live there today. 
For
an enjoyable year, Ann held a widely coveted clerkship under Justice
Paul Liacos of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, then worked
as an attorney for the national law firm Robins, Zelle, Larson and
Kaplan. Ann built upon her experience when she became an assistant
district attorney, working in Chelsea District Court from 1996 through
1997 under Suffolk County District Attorney Ralph Martin.
