Joan Agnes “Johnnie” Coe was a proud, lifelong Tulsan. She graduated from Tulsa’s Central High School and attended The University of Tulsa, graduating in 1936 with a degree in business and a minor in economics. She rode a streetcar to TU from her parents’ home in downtown Tulsa, and she was a member of Phi Mu sorority while at TU. She continued to be active in the Phi Mu alumni organization in the Tulsa area until her death in 2013 at the age of 98.

Coe launched a successful career in Tulsa’s energy industry, working for Stanolind Oil and Gas Company, which was sold many times during her 30-year tenure there, including to Amoco and British Petroleum. She retired in 1972 as Senior Clerk of the Controller’s Office to care for her mother. She then worked part time for another Tulsa company until retiring permanently six years later.

Once fully retired, Johnnie became very involved in volunteer work at her church, the First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa, where she served as a Deacon and in several other positions, and she was eventually honored as the longest living member of the church. She also enjoyed traveling in her retirement years.

When she passed away, her family described her as “an amazing woman, intelligent, sharp witted, well read, friendly, always looking for the next adventure, free spirited and lovely.”

Johnnie Coe continued to hold TU in a special place in her heart throughout her life, and in 2003, she established the Etta McAllister Memorial Endowed Scholarship in Nursing. This scholarship fund for nursing students honors the memory of her beloved aunt, a professional nurse who devoted her life to serving the needs of others.

The University of Tulsa is grateful for this perpetual source of support for TU’s deserving nursing students. Johnnie Coe’s legacy of philanthropy and service is sustained by this important scholarship fund.