Linda Cooke Johnson
Surprising (and pleasing) is the fact that the formidable Linda Cooke Johnson - the author of two indispensable books, Shanghai: From Market Town to Treaty Port, 1074-1858 (1995) and Cities of Jiangnan in Late Imperial China (1993) - started her academic career in Chinese history quite late...
Linda Cooke Johnson
I came to Wellesley as a scholarship student from a small town in Virginia and graduated in 1961 with honors. I learned how to conduct analysis from my Art History Major and the discipline of history from Biblical Studies. My Wellesley experience and success gave me the self-confidence and abilities to go back to University after my children were in school (and in difficult personal circumstances) to undertake a demanding subject: Chinese history - including the languages needed! I successfully achieved a Ph.D. at the age of 46 from the University of California Santa Cruz/Berkeley joint program. From there, I was lucky enough to find a position in my field at a research university. I taught for more than 20 years at Michigan State University, published three books and numerous articles, edited a nationally prominent history journal, and wrapped it all up at age 70 to retire back to California. I am a firm believer in the Liberal Arts as the path to enlightenment!
Source: https://campaign.wellesley.edu/the-wellesley-voices/1266-linda-cooke-johnson