Johnstone, Russell R. and Vivienne S. Scholarship
Vivienne Skadsdamen Johnstone, a native of Sharon, N.D., and a graduate of the University of North Dakota, established The Russell R. and Vivienne S. Johnstone Scholarship in memory of her husband, Russell, and as a gift to the community where she and her husband lived, worked, volunteered, raised their two children, and enjoyed their two grandchildren and great grandchild.
College sweethearts, Vivienne and Russell Johnstone met at a weekly dance hosted by Vivienne’s sorority, Alpha Chi Omega. Russ, a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, was a law student, and Vivienne was a freshman. For Russ, it was love at first sight, but because he felt so strongly about the importance of education, marriage was postponed until after Vivienne’s graduation. For the next nine years, Vivienne and Russ moved around the United States (Illinois, Texas, and Ohio) as Russ’ career in the insurance industry took off. During this time, World War II intervened. Russ served his country, both at home and abroad, in the Army as a First Sergeant, and Vivienne worked to coordinate grain shipments in four states for the Army. In 1952, Russ accepted a position with Roadway Express and moved his family to Akron, Ohio. The Johnstones quickly became active members of the Akron community. Vivienne volunteered with the PTA at her children’s schools, and Russ, who retired from Roadway Express in 1976 as the company’s vice president and corporate secretary, held positions of leadership within the community with organizations like the Ohio Bar Association, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Goodwill Industries, the Central Hospital Bureau, and the Ohio Trucking Association, which inducted him into the Ohio Trucking Association’s Hall of Fame in the 1970s. Both were also intimately involved at their church, Westminster Presbyterian Church.
The purpose of The Russell R. and Vivienne S. Johnstone Scholarship is to provide scholarship support to one or more students in The University of Akron’s College of Business Administration. In awarding the scholarship, consideration shall be given to students with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and financial need.