On any given Saturday afternoon, you can turn your radio dial to 91.7 FM, WMSE, MSOE’s award-winning radio station, and hear Milwaukee’s longest-running hip-hop, old-school R&B, soul, funk and dance radio program: “The Saturday Afternoon Boogie Bang”. The voice and host of the show, Barry Johnson ’86, has been a volunteer DJ for his alma mater for the past 43 years. Barry is not only a fixture on the FM dial but a beloved member of the Milwaukee and MSOE community, bringing Wisconsin artists, listeners, alumni and students together through a shared love of music and community engagement.

A Chicago native, Barry moved to Milwaukee and enrolled at MSOE in the fall of 1981. During his time as an industrial management major, Barry was involved in a variety of African American student chapters, including the National Technical Association (NTA), as well as a member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) at MSOE. In addition, he formed important connections with MSOE staff and faculty that would help him build his future engineering and broadcasting career. He also formed another special connection with classmate Grace Stephenson ’86, whom he later married and raised three daughters with.

After graduating in 1986 from MSOE, Barry’s first job was at Delco Electronics as a computer programmer supporting its avionics division. Following that role, Barry managed IT Operations for Electronic Data Systems (EDS). After nearly 20 years at EDS, Barry moved into the financial industry as the IT/Operations manager for Corporate Central Credit Union for 13 years. He then transitioned to the medical industry as an operations manager at Advanced Physician Solutions, where he currently works today. Over the past seven years, Barry has managed operations for several medical clinics. One of his proudest career moments he recalls was during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when he implemented a telemedicine solution to allow patients access to their healthcare providers during the lockdown.

“Imagine seniors who only used their phones for texting and calling, now utilizing them for telemedicine. I worked with them through the set-up process, even while not being able to see what they were selecting to get their phones to work with the system I implemented.”

When he’s not working, Barry has been fostering his creative outlet through WMSE. In addition to his children and grandson, Barry has featured numerous alumni and classmates on air to lend their voices to the community through his show. A particular moment of pride for Barry during The Boogie Bang was being able to play "Black Butterly,” sung by fellow MSOE alumna Renee McCall ’87, who was a member of the musical group Sounds of Blackness.

In 2021 for Black History Month, Barry, in collaboration with Sharon Jordan and Bob Klien from Direct Supply, produced “Wisconsin Black History Moment” (WBHM)–public service announcements highlighting the impact and contributions of Wisconsin African Americans throughout the state’s history. Direct Supply employees would research and do the voice-overs for these PSAs, which Barry recorded and aired weekly on WMSE.

In addition to his involvement through WMSE, Barry has stayed connected with many other classmates across the country and locally to help support various community initiatives, including a citywide K-12 chess tournament and building a tunnel that connected two buildings of Barry’s church in Milwaukee.
Barry serves on the leadership council for the W. Wallace Cannon Jr. Society, a new MSOE Affinity Group launched in 2024 that honors MSOE’s first African American graduate and organizes efforts to unite Black alumni and current students through social and professional connection opportunities.

Outside of The Saturday Afternoon Boogie Bang, Barry can still be found on MSOE’s campus today, often as the DJ for various events around campus. “It is very cool to interview the students, parents, student organizations and staff to have them tell their stories about MSOE.” He often advises students: “As a student, use your resources. Utilize everything that MSOE has to offer. MSOE is hard, and sometimes you may think you are all alone, but you are not.”