Northwestern College | Classic magazine - Winter 2004-05 - Vol. 76 ...

Parentsof the YearNorthwestern ClassicDennis and Karee JohnstonStaying the CourseDan Johnston learns perseverance and service from Northwestern’s Parents of the Yearby Anita CirulisWhen Dan Johnstondecided he wanted to attendNorthwestern and play footballin Iowa—1,800 milesfrom his hometown of SanLuis Obispo, Calif.—his parentsgave him their blessing.When he found himself sittingon the bench for most ofhis first three years, his fatherhelped him learn perseverance.When a teammate’sinjury made Johnston thestarting quarterback on theRaiders’ nationally rankedteam, his mother spent eachgame day fasting and prayingfor him.Dennis and KareeJohnston’s support andexample have played a majorrole in their son’s life. It alsoearned them Northwestern’sParents of the Year awardfor 2004.Northwestern recognizedthe Johnstons on campusduring Parents Weekendin November.▼“For the past three years,he’s been there to remindme of my role as aChristian on the team andas a teammate.”▲For 21 years, Dan Johnston has seen the commitment to Christ and servant’s attitude of his parents, Dennis and KareeJohnston. In November, he watched as they were honored as Northwestern’s Parents of the Year, thanks to a nomination letterhe wrote on their behalf.Born and raised inCalifornia, the couple met atchurch and married in 1982.Dennis is the buildings andgrounds manager for GraceChurch in San Luis Obispo;Karee works in food serviceat San Luis Obispo HighSchool. In addition to Dan,the Johnstons are the parentsof three daughters: Jewel, 15;Amanda, 14; and Katee, 12.In a letter nominatinghis parents for the award,Dan wrote of their serviceand leadership. Each week,the Johnston family conductsa worship service at a localretirement home. Kareeteaches Sunday school forseventh grade girls, and thecouple just started a prayerand Bible study group forparents whose sons anddaughters are in theirchurch’s youth program.Dan describes his fatheras a hard-working man ofGod who is honest about hisimperfections. His dadhelped him stick with footballeven when he wasn’t gettingmuch playing time.“For the past three years,he’s been there to remind meof my role as a Christian onthe team and as a teammate,”Dan says. “He’s shown mehow that reflects the body ofChrist and your role in thechurch—where the guy whosets up the chairs is just asimportant as the speaker inthe limelight.”“It was a matter of puttingthings in an eternal perspective,”Dennis says.“When it comes down to it,football is still a game. Therewere a lot of life lessons thereas far as perseverance andsticking with something youstarted. At times Dan felt likequitting, but he didn’t—forthe team and the guys.Learning to deal with disappointmenthas made himstronger in his faith.”Karee, whom Dan calls aselfless servant, still can’t12 ▲ Winter 2004-05