Rhoda Mae Johnson (Begley) was a lifelong Sycamore resident who was born in 1924. She married Peter Johnson in 1943 while he was in the military and stationed in Little Rock, Arkansas. The couple was married for 50 years before her death in 1993. They had three children, Jill, Rebecca, Peter, six grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren.

Rhoda was a graduate of Sycamore High School and Northern Illinois University. She devoted her professional life to teaching the youth of Sycamore and Genoa before her retirement in 1976.

The creation of the Rhoda Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund is a lasting tribute to Rhoda. The scholarship is awarded annually to a Sycamore High School student that intends to pursue a career in education.