Awards

Partners in Philanthropy - 2022

Family Legacy Award

About The Johnson Family

The extended Johnson family is certainly familiar to IU. Six family members—spanning three generations and multiple branches of the family—graduated from Indiana University. Prior to their passing, Dick and Ruth Johnson were among IU’s most active volunteers and donors, and subsequent generations continue to carry on that tradition.

Indeed, the list is formidable: The IU Foundation Board, the IU Alumni Association, the College of Arts and Sciences Executive Dean’s Advisory Board, the IUPUC Board of Advisors, the Kelley School Dean’s Advisory Council, the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the Women’s Colloquium, the Women’s Philanthropy Conference, the IU Art Museum, the IU J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program, the Jacobs School of Music Dean’s Advisory Board. In every one of these settings—and more—at least one member of the Johnson Family has served as a member, a donor, an active volunteer, and a leader. Their presence promotes excellence, accountability, and a deep commitment to the core values and principles of Indiana University.

Similarly, every member of the family has taken part in a philanthropic tradition that, to date, has benefited the IU Foundation, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Kelley School of Business, the Jacobs School of Music, the Herron School of Art + Design, the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, the Eskenazi Museum of Art, and more than a dozen other areas. Rick, Alice, and Jenny continuously support IU initiatives and host alumni and donor events in their homes and clubs.

Family members—from Dick and Ruth in days past to their grandchildren, Ricky and Annie—have been unfailingly generous in sharing their time and expertise in service of IU. Both through board membership and through informal advocacy in countless settings, members of the Johnson family continue to serve as generous ambassadors for the University.