Permanent Memorial

Johnstons honor memory of their son with scholarship

From Athletics Spotlight - Spring 2019

When a pair of former student-athletes lost their four-month-old son in 2014, they wanted to find a way to have his memory live on.

One way Brad and Raychel (Boling) Johnston did that was by establishing the Brody Robert Johnston Memorial Athletic Scholarship. The endowed fund will provide scholarships for future Ichabod student-athletes.

“Our number one goal after Brody had passed was to make sure his memory stayed alive,” said Raychel, bcj ’10, mcj ’12. “We knew a permanent scholarship was the perfect way to keep Brody’s memory alive, and we were blessed that it will always remain.”

The two contribute annually to Washburn programs like the tennis team where Brad played and the women’s basketball team where Raychel played. They also purchased two bricks on Ichabod Plaza outside the Welcome Center with one for their son and one for them.

“Keeping Brody's memory alive is our top priority,” said Brad, bs ’09. “Giving back is a way we can share his memory in a positive way. We try to take the negative aspect out of what happened and turn it into a good one.”

The Johnston’s love for Washburn goes back to their days on the court. Brad was part of three MIAA tennis championship teams and four NCAA tournament teams from 2005-09. He earned all-MIAA all four years and is sixth in school history with 70 doubles wins. Raychel played basketball from 2008-11 and was part of one MIAA championship team and three NCAA tournament teams.

Raychel has been a law enforcement agent with Kansas Alcoholic Beverage Control for seven years. Brad has been teaching for eight years and is a special education teacher with Topeka Public Schools. The two stay involved with Washburn by attending basketball and tennis matches as well as donor events.

“We have many fond memories of our days as college athletes,” Raychel said. “The most valuable thing we both took from it was creating a relationship with Washburn University and our peers that will last a lifetime.”