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updated: 8/3/2009 1:07:49 PM
[UPDATED] Indiana Has Lost "A Good Friend"
Business and community leaders throughout Indiana are mourning the passing of entrepreneur and philanthropist Richard "Dick" Johnson of Columbus. Johnson passed away last week at the age of 76 after battling cancer. In 1957, he started what would become one of the largest independent petroleum distributors in the nation and later founded the Big Foot convenience store chain. His generosity is evident in places like the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.
Columbus Mayor Fred Armstrong tells Inside INdiana Business Johnson will be "almost impossible to replace."
Johnson was a Junior Achievement of Central Indiana Business Hall of Fame laureate in 2006.
Source: Inside INdiana Business
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Johnson received his business degree from IU in 1955 and served for two years in the U.S. Army.
He has served as a director of the Indiana Limestone Co., AuthorHouse and Salin Bank and as chairman of the board of Johnson Ventures.
The Johnsons also are longtime supporters of the IU Press and funded the paintings for the classic publication Birds of Indiana. Johnson was a life director of the IU Foundation and a member of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. He has been honored nationally as the Ernst & Young Retail Entrepreneur of the Year and has received the Distinguished Entrepreneur Award from the Kelley School of Business Alumni Association. Johnson is survived by his wife Ruth.
Sources: inside INdiana Business, The Republic and Indiana University
