Justice Phil Johnson graduated from Texas Tech in 1965. He then entered the Air Force, serving in Vietnam as a fighter pilot and at Reese AFB as an instructor pilot. While Justice Johnson was serving at Reese he met and married Carla, who has both Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Tech. 
 
Justice Johnson graduated from Tech Law School with honors in 1975. He practiced with the Lubbock firm of Crenshaw, Dupree and Milam until he was elected to the 7th Court of Appeals in 1998. In 2002 he was elected Chief Justice of the 7th Court. In March, 2005 he was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court and served there until his retirement on December 31, 2018. 
 
The Johnsons have five children; one son-Philip-is a Tech Law graduate. They are grateful for the opportunities Tech has afforded them and their family. They believe that financially supporting Tech and the Law School is especially important in light of increased costs of, and the state's reduced funding for, higher education.