City Parks, Library District, School District 11 Accept Gifts from Estate of Milt and Darlene Johnson
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - At a time when good news is at a premium, nine local entities received significant gifts from the estate of long-time Colorado Springs residents Milton and Darlene Johnson. The gifts were formally accepted at a press conference today.
“Two really tremendous people, products of the Midwest, made their way to Colorado Springs and fell in love with the city, one a pharmacist, one a school teacher. They never made a lot of money, but they invested very wisely and they have left these fantastically impactful bequests to a variety of entities in the city of Colorado Springs,” said Mayor John Suthers. “This really is a good news story and frankly, I hope it will inspire other people. This is a great example of how impactful you can be.”
Darlene moved to Colorado Springs in 1957 followed by Milt in 1960. Darlene was a teacher in School District 11 for 19 years, teaching at Audobon and Ivywild elementary schools. Milt was a pharmacist at Broadmoor Drug inside the Broadmoor Hotel.
The Johnsons bequeathed the following gifts:
- Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services: $100,000
- Colorado Springs Southwest Downtown Business Improvement District, for southwest downtown improvements: $200,000
- U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, for equipment and supplies at the Olympic Training Center: $25,000
- School District 11 for supplies, computers, and scholarships for the high schools $330,000
- UCCS General Scholarship Fund: $50,000
- Pikes Peak Library District Foundation: $150,000
Sharing in the residual amount estimated at over $1M are the following City for Champions projects:
- U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum.
- William J. Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center
- Colorado Springs Sports Authority for the Colorado Sports and Events Center (downtown stadium and Robson Arena)
Today’s press conference was streamed live on facebook and can be viewed at www.facebook.com/MayorofCOS. A bio for Milt and Darlene Johnson is attached.