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“Fredonia made it possible for me to pursue my dream. Now it is ‘payback time.’”
That’s how Helen Johnson sees her role at SUNY Fredonia some 60 years after receiving her bachelor’s degree in Education. Johnson, who enjoyed a 35-year career, believes current students should have the same opportunity she had.
“I wanted to do something to help young people today to become teachers,” the 1952 graduate explained. “You see, I was so fortunate. Back in 1948, Fredonia didn’t charge tuition, so that made it possible for me to go to college and become a teacher. All these years I had it in the back of my mind I wanted to do something to help,” she said.
Johnson enthusiastically joined the College of Education’s Committee of Friends, formed a year ago by the Fredonia College Foundation to attract individual $200 contributions from College of Education alumni to support current SUNY Fredonia students who share their passion for teaching.
By pooling these contributions, scholarships valued at $2,000 can be awarded to incoming freshmen education majors. These donations help students defray the costs of tuition, room and board. Every dollar given goes directly to a student.
The funds given in 2011 by the Committee of Friends have created scholarships for nine incoming freshmen.
So inspired by the mission of the Committee of Friends – and the action of her twin brother, Harold, who set up a scholarship at his alma mater – Johnson went a step further by establishing the Helen Johnson Legacy Scholarship Endowment at SUNY Fredonia. Her fund assists students enrolled in the unique Fredonia-Hamburg Teacher Education program, a cooperative venture between SUNY Fredonia and the Hamburg Central School District, where Johnson spent most of her career.
Johnson was delighted to meet the two recipients of her scholarship fund this past year, one at the Scholars Breakfast and the other at the College of Education’s celebratory luncheon during Commencement week. She also visited one of the recipients at the Hamburg elementary school where she was assigned.
The College of Education will honor all Committee of Friends members and provide them with an opportunity to meet students who received these scholarships at a gathering to be held Homecoming weekend. A list of all Committee of Friends donors will appear in the College of Education’s website this fall.
To learn more about how to invest in future teachers by joining the Committee of Friends or establishing your own endowment scholarship fund, contact Heather McKeever, associate director of Development at the Fredonia College Foundation. She can also be reached at heather.mckeever@fredonia.edu or 716-673-3321.
