DAMARISCOTTA – Arthur Mengies Johnson, the former president of the University of Maine best known among his colleagues for reuniting the Orono campus after a troubled time, died suddenly Saturday, Sept. 18, at his home at age 83, according to family members.

“He was a very, very wonderful gentleman,” Frederick Hutchinson, president emeritus of the University of Maine, said Tuesday. “He was always even-tempered, friendly, outgoing, very enthused about whatever he was doing. He was very enthused about people.”

Johnson first came to the University as a visiting professor of history in 1968 after teaching at the U.S. Naval Academy and the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, where he worked for a decade.

Gov. John Baldacci, who was a history student of Johnson’s from 1974 to 1976, said the former UMaine president was a good leader and a friend.

“I just can’t say how sad I am that he passed away,” Baldacci said Tuesday. “I just want to pass along my prayers and sympathy to the family. He was just a wonderful person.”

Johnson’s tenure as the A. and A. Bird professor of history at the University of Maine, from 1970 to 1986, and his two-year term as president from 1984 to 1986 were marked by his quiet diplomacy and a real respect for students and faculty, colleagues said.

During a student sit-in that occurred in Johnson’s presidency, he negotiated with them for a peaceful resolution, Assistant to the President Bob Whelan said.

“His choice to handle it cordially rather than confrontationally was key,” Whelan said. “I thought he had a lot of respect for students, and a lot of enthusiasm for them. When he was near them, he seemed to feed off their energy.”

Johnson agreed to serve as interim president after the resignation of Paul Silverman in the spring of 1984. At that time, the faculty did not have a lot of trust in university administration, according to campus officials. Johnson’s wife of 50 years, Emily Johnson, said her husband enjoyed creating peace where there had been dissent.

“He really enjoyed all the different factions at the university,” Johnson said Tuesday evening. “You want to keep the students happy. You want to keep the faculty happy. You want to keep the alumni happy. He enjoyed working with all those people.”

According to Whelan, at the time that Johnson became president, the university was known popularly as “UM zero.”

“I believe Arthur turned that image around,” Whelan said.

He was proud he accomplished some pet projects during his presidency, including completion of the Maine Center for the Arts and the Hudson Museum.

Another accomplishment close to Johnson’s heart was an improvement of the marine sciences department on campus.

“Arthur was a visionary in the sense that he saw … the way to move forward with marine sciences in the state of Maine,” said David Townsend, professor of oceanography at the school of marine sciences.

He was instrumental in obtaining funding for a research vessel and creating the Association of Research in the Gulf of Maine, which has grown to include Canada and the rest of New England.

An economic historian, Johnson was a founder of many groups that helped local economic development, including the University of Maine’s President’s Advisory Council, the Action Committee of 5o, a business development organization in Bangor, the Maine Community Foundation, and the Camden Conference.

Allen Fernald of Camden, chairman of Down East Enterprise, served on several boards with Johnson.

“He’s a man who has left his mark on Maine for the good, not only of its students, but for the people of Maine,” Fernald said. “He’ll be sorely missed.”

Johnson was a 1944 graduate of Harvard University, and earned his Ph.D. in history from Vanderbilt University in 1954. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and the Korean War, and wrote seven books about economic history.

Emily Johnson said that she and her husband had been reminiscing about their life together on the day he died.

“On Saturday, he said what a wonderful life he’d had,” Johnson said.

Johnson will be buried after a 1 p.m. service today at the Castine Cemetery. A public memorial service will be held in the near future. Donations may be made to Southport Memorial Library, Southport, or the University of Maine Alumni Association, P.O. Box 550, Orono 04473.