A Lasting Gift of Confidence: The Johnston Family Endowment

Photo of Dave & Gord. Supplied.

For Gord Johnston, the journey to finding his voice started 700 kilometers away,  in the small Saskatchewan city of Swift Current. As a young teenager, Gord stuttered severely. By his father Dave’s recollection, there were years when almost nothing Gord said came out fluently. Speaking could be exhausting and, at times, deeply limiting. 

Dave Johnston was a family physician for 57 years, and recognized the need for help in his own family. They had tried local speech-language services, but struggled to find the specialized, intensive support Gord needed. Then, by chance, they learned about an intensive fluency program being offered in Edmonton by the Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research (ISTAR) founders Einer Boberg and Deborah Kully.

That discovery changed the course of Gord’s life.

In the early 1980s, at about 13 or 14 years old, Gord travelled to Edmonton for the three-week intensive clinic. The program, held at Corbett Hall before the formal establishment of ISTAR, brought together a group of adolescents who were experiencing significant stuttering. Gord remembers playing soccer with the other participants on the front lawn and still has the original reel-to-reel recording of his speech from before and after the clinic.

But what he remembers most is the transformation.

Before treatment, one sentence could take Gord a minute or two to complete. His father remembers wondering whether his son would ever be able to “get on in the world” or find a job because of his speech. Even everyday situations could be impacted. If Gord wanted a Coke at a restaurant, for example, he might order an orange drink instead because he could not get the word “Coke” out.

Then, after the intensive clinic, something changed. As Dave remembers it, “It was as though a light went on: We could converse!”

Gord recalls that finishing the intensive clinic was “such a massive weight off my shoulders.” The skills he learned gave him greater fluency and, importantly, confidence — a foundation he credits with shaping his life and career.

After attending more follow-up speech therapy at ISTAR, he went on to earn a graduate degree in Speech-Language Pathology and briefly worked in that field. Although he met his future wife, Jennifer during his time in the graduate program, Gord realized his professional path lay elsewhere. He subsequently earned a master’s degree in health administration and built  a more than three-decade career in public service leadership, including executive roles across the Alberta government and, later, as the CEO at Civida. His career required frequent public speaking and media work, opportunities he says would not have been possible without his early treatment.

“There was zero possibility without the early help from Einer and Deborah,” he says. “That early base of confidence in my abilities … set up my life for the success I’ve had.”

Deborah Kully, who assisted Einer Boberg during Gord’s clinic and later served as ISTAR’s clinic director for many years, remembers him fondly: “I remember that clinic well. It was a lovely collection of personalities, and he shone.” 

Gord recognizes that his family was fortunate to have the means and flexibility to make his therapy possible.

“I was blessed growing up in a small town with a close-knit group of friends,” he says. He knows that not every young person who needs specialized fluency treatment has the same social support. Distance, accommodation costs and other expenses can also make accessing intensive therapy difficult for families living outside of the communities where ISTAR is located.

That gratitude inspired the Johnston Family Endowment for Stuttering Treatment, established by Dave and Gord in 2025 to help young people outside Edmonton and Calgary to access fluency treatment at ISTAR. It is a way of helping ensure that geography and financial circumstances do not prevent another young person from discovering the same possibilities.

“I would hate for others to be in a position where the parents cannot afford this successful therapy,” Gord says. “It was a way for us to give back that is impactful for families in that situation … I know that early intervention leads to lifelong success — in marriage, with children, money, in all sorts of things.” 

The endowment is their way of helping remove some of those barriers.

“We were extremely happy to do this,” Dave says of the decision to establish the fund. “We have so much admiration for the work ISTAR is doing.”

For Gord, the gift turns his own experience into something another generation can use. “I couldn’t be more grateful for what ISTAR has done for me and my family.” 

What began with a family willing to make the journey to Edmonton has  become a gift designed to help other families make that journey too.

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In addition to the fund highlighted above, ISTAR is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a Crowdfunding campaign. Add your support at https://ualberta.alumniq.com/crowdfunding/Crowdfunding/istar40 to invest in the future of accessible and research-backed speech therapy.