The spirit and friendships Paulette Locke Johnson found as a cheerleader at Arkansas Tech University will now live on through a new endowed scholarship in her name.
The Paulette Locke Johnson Endowed Scholarship, established through the ATU Foundation, will support full-time students in good academic standing who demonstrate financial need and perform at least 10 hours of community service each semester. Preference will be given to members of the ATU coed cheerleading squad.
Johnson, a Fort Smith Northside High School graduate, attended Arkansas Tech in the late 1960s and early 1970s. She was vice president of her senior class and a member of the Marquise Club, the Association of Women Students and Alpha Lambda Zeta, which later became Zeta Tau Alpha. She graduated in 1973 with a degree in sociology.
“She always spoke so highly of her experience at Arkansas Tech,” said her husband, Mike Johnson. “She had many, many friends she kept in contact with throughout all the years she was alive. Arkansas Tech was a huge and important part of her life.”
Following college, Paulette earned a law degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law and built a successful career in the oil and gas industry, serving as manager of land and legal for Sedna Energy Inc. in Fort Smith.
“She was a wonderful person,” Mike said. “She had a deep faith in her Lord, Jesus, and she lived that faith. She never met a stranger. She could go into a room full of people and light it up. People loved her, and she loved people.”
Paulette died Feb. 11, 2009, at the age of 57. Her husband said the scholarship is a way to honor her passion for cheerleading and her deep connection to Arkansas Tech.
“She loved being a cheerleader and cheering for the Wonder Boys,” Mike said. “It was such a standout experience in her life that I wanted to memorialize her with this endowed scholarship.”
Individuals who wish to contribute to or apply for scholarships through the ATU Foundation may call (479) 968-0400 or email the ATU Foundation.
