Repaying Past Kindness by Helping HMC Students Thrive
Susan and Ed Johnson
First-generation college graduates Ed and Susan Johnson understand the importance and impact of a college education.
“Both of us were able to go to college and then build successful lives together largely because of the financial aid provided by prior graduates,” says Ed, an emeritus trustee of Harvey Mudd College, “I could never have attended, let alone have graduated from, Rensselaer or Stanford University without huge amounts of scholarship assistance.”
Providing opportunities for future generations is a priority for Ed and Susan. The couple has established scholarships at Ed’s high school, undergraduate and graduate institutions. Because of Susan’s passion for programmatic initiatives, they have also provided seed funding to introduce the Global Initiative Program into the curriculum at her alma mater, San Jose State University. Their passion for education has been passed on to their daughter, a school principal, whom the couple includes in significant philanthropic decisions.
Susan and Ed met while working at McKinsey & Company and married in 1972. Subsequently, Ed worked as an executive at the American Can Company and then the Times Mirror Company before forming Beechtree Ventures, Inc. Ed was introduced to HMC by late HMC trustee Ken Jonsson when the two served on Rensselaer’s board of trustees. Jonsson suggested that Ed “take a look at a great little college” near the couple’s La Canada home.
Ed visited campus and immediately realized there was something special about Harvey Mudd College. “When I met faculty members, I was struck by the fact that—while serious about their research—all of them seemed really committed to teaching, to helping young men and women find themselves and their passion in the sciences. Then, I met some students [who were] so passionate about their studies and about finding a way to have an impact on the world. I was sold.”
In yet another display of philanthropy, Ed and Susan have included an estate gift to HMC, which will supplement the Edward E. and Susan P. Johnson Endowed Scholarship Fund. The “great little college” has grown in many ways since Ed’s service, but the Johnsons know that Harvey Mudd’s dedication to educating STEM leaders with a clear understanding of their impact on society remains unchanged.
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