The UCLA Department of Spanish lost a leader earlier this month when Carroll B. Johnson, an influential expert on the Spanish Golden Age, passed away from a stroke on April 3 in Chicago at the age of 69.

“It was a terrible blow – no one was expecting it. He was such a leader and visionary,” said Susan Plann, a professor of Spanish who had been a colleague of Johnson’s since 1975.

In his 43-year tenure at UCLA, Johnson had been the chair of the Spanish department for an unprecedented 13 years in three separate tenures.

He was one of the most authoritative scholars on the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes and his novel “Don Quixote,” and was also noted for his Freudian and Marxist interpretations of the novel, which have been accepted in academic circles, according to a statement from the Spanish department.

Plann described Johnson’s work in Cervantine studies as “groundbreaking and cutting edge.”

Though he was a renowned scholar, Johnson allowed his students to explore their own interests.

“He let me do my own thing. He was a guide. He was hands-on in that he was very supportive,” said Nora Zepeda, a doctoral candidate in Spanish and one of Johnson’s graduate students at the time of his death,

Alison Stewart, a doctoral student in Spanish who worked with Johnson for a year and a half, said he was a good mentor.

“He encouraged free thought – going out on a limb. ... He was very, very helpful and encouraging,” she said.

Zepeda also said Johnson’s work on Cervantes brought about a whole generation of Golden Age scholars, who study the period of Spanish history between the 15th and 17th centuries – during which time art and literature flourished.

After graduating from UCLA in 1960 with a degree in Spanish, Johnson continued on to receive a masters degree in Spanish the next year. He received his doctorate from Harvard University in the romance languages and literature in 1966.

He joined the UCLA faculty in 1964 and continued teaching until his death.

In 1983, Johnson published a book that used Freudian ideas to psychoanalyze the character of Don Quixote. Though controversial at the time, the interpretation is today considered orthodox in the academic community, according to the Spanish department’s statement.

In his latest book, published in 2000, Johnson related Don Quixote to the socioeconomic tensions of Cervantes’ time.

Zepeda said Johnson made Golden Age literature relevant in the 21st century by relating the issues in the past to modern times.

Johnson was also supportive of his graduate students in their research but was not controlling, said Zepeda, who had worked with Johnson since fall of 2004.

Zepeda added that Johnson helped her network with other scholars in the field and helped her hone her research.

“His criticism was always constructive and carefully worded,” she said.

Johnson’s study of Cervantes led him to become the chair of the Cervantes Society of America from 1997 to 2000, and he presided over the 400th anniversary celebration of the publication of Don Quixote at UCLA in 2005.

In 2005, Johnson was selected by the Academic Senate to deliver the 98th Faculty Research Lecture, an annual lecture delivered to the public.

Being chosen to give one of these lectures is one of the highest honors a faculty member can receive at UCLA.

“(Johnson) was extremely fair. He was the moral compass of the (Spanish) department. He was above petty politics,” Plann said.

Johnson reached out to the greater Hispanic community in Los Angeles and delivered graduation addresses for the Spanish department in Spanish first because he felt the families that attended the event were more comfortable with that language. He also obtained free parking for families with limited means who were attending graduation, according to the department’s statement.

He had been scheduled to retire at the end of spring quarter of this year, and after his retirement Johnson had planned to write a book on the connection between Don Quixote and the Spanish Moorish culture in the late Spanish renaissance.

He also planned to continue teaching two graduate seminars a year about Golden Age literature.

As a person, Johnson was described as private and shy, but not unapproachable.

Stewart said Johnson’s presence was quiet and solid, and while he was not imposing, people listened when he spoke.

“I felt very close to him even when we didn’t have a lot of personal interaction. He was a good teacher and mentor and he showed me how to be a good teacher and mentor,” Zepeda said, adding that she would continue his work.

A memorial service is scheduled for May 1 at 4 p.m. in Royce 306.