Mrs. Jaqueline Rice and her Husband Mr. W. Thomas Rice

The Althea L. Johnston Scholarship was created by Mrs. Jaqueline Rice and her Husband Mr. W. Thomas Rice in memory of Jaqueline’s mother, Althea Johnston.

In 1909, with only two years of experience teaching primary school in Illinois, Althea Loose accepted an offer to teach Latin, German and physical education at the State Normal and Industrial School for Women. The following summer she attended Columbia University to study physical education. At the time, the gymnasium doubled as an assembly hall, formed by removing a partition between two classrooms in the science building (now Maury Hall). Activity usually consisted of drills with dumbbells, wands and Indian clubs, passing the heavy medicine ball or sometimes folk dancing or volleyball. She was also a volunteer referee for the intramural basketball games. In 1911 she married James C. Johnston, principal of Harrisonburg High School. They had a secret wedding ceremony at her uncle’s house in Manassas. She took time off after her marriage to have four children. In 1919 she returned to James Madison University as head of the physical education department. Under her direction, the program grew from non-credit courses of exercises to a degree-granting department with an emphasis on health education and teaching methods. Her fifth child was born in March 1921, and she returned to work after several months. That same year she instituted varsity basketball. Althea was also the coach for the women’s basketball team during the 1920s and 30s. During one seven-year period, her teams had four undefeated seasons. Althea returned to Columbia and completed her master’s degree. Her husband died in 1929, and she continued coaching and teaching. She stepped down as coach of the basketball team in 1942. Her record was 106-33-5. In 1951 she retired from Madison College. Johnston Hall, named for her husband, was renamed the James C. and Althea L. Johnston Hall. Althea celebrated her 98th birthday on July 22, 1983. She died in 1984 and was named to the James Madison University Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.