Buckeyes Give: Top impact stories from 2023-24

James “JJ” Johnson ’73 has pledged to create the James and Andrew Johnson Family Endowed Scholarship Fund at The Ohio State University. This generous gift will provide scholarships to Ohio State students, particularly those from Johnson’s own alma mater, Wheelersburg High School in Scioto County, Ohio.

As the founder of Occu-Med, a company that specializes in medical evaluations for employment, Johnson is a longtime advocate for paying forward. Johnson has embodied the Buckeye spirit of giving in big and small ways, from bringing Christmas to up to 125 families in need each year, to donating a full-year’s school supplies to a struggling middle school in their community, to giving a year’s supply of dog food to a local rescue shelter and being a lifelong supporter of his community’s Valley Children’s Hospital.

“This gift to Ohio State is very much in keeping with our mission to honor our company’s core values in serving our community. When the thought of funding a scholarship was considered, there was never any thought of any other school. We’re Buckeyes, lifelong!” Johnson said.

With this scholarship, Johnson hopes to repay a debt he feels he owes to those who helped him. The scholarship specifically aims to support students from Wheelersburg, an expression of gratitude for the teachers there who helped Johnson find his way to and through his education at Ohio State.

As an endowed fund, the annual income from Johnson’s gift will provide scholarships to support students for generations to come. Johnson’s son Andrew, now the president of Occu-Med following his father’s recent retirement, is a critical element of the fund’s name. He has fully embraced and continued the company’s community service mission, including continuing the Johnson family legacy of giving at Ohio State.

Johnson credits Ohio State with opening his eyes to the world outside of his small hometown and helping him find his place in it.

“I will always be grateful that I found my way to a university that both presented this plethora of options and allowed such an immature student as me enough time to figure out how to move in a productive direction — as well as the ongoing assistance in doing so,” he said.

His time at Ohio State was punctuated by the Vietnam War, remembering when the school was closed for a time and the National Guard manned the Oval for weeks.

This tumultuous time in world history brought many influential figures to Columbus, from Bernadette Devlin to Angela Davis and George Lincoln Rockwell. Having the opportunity to fully immerse himself in every side of the issue allowed Johnson to grow in new ways.

“Ohio State presented freedom of expression for both sides of that issue, and of all others, to be explored. The war stopped being a story on the nightly news and became very real,” said Johnson.

Given the freedom to not only explore world issues but also various courses and areas of study, Johnson found himself at home in the social and behavioral sciences.

“I eventually found my path and was able to organize my skills and abilities to move forward in a successful manner,” he says. “This could never have happened in a college or university without the degree of patience and opportunities available at Ohio State.”

Johnson’s dream for this new scholarship fund ultimately hits close to home. “I have always envisioned finding someone similar to my high school self and being able to make a life-changing difference for him or her. I trust Ohio State to bring this to fruition.”

If you’d like to give to scholarship funds to support Ohio State students, please visit go.osu.edu/ascscholarshipgiving.

Support future Arts and Sciences students by making a gift to the Arts and Sciences Scholarship Fund.