Oscar and Ellen Ellberg Scholarship

Oscar Ellberg was born in Sweden. In 1924, as a 20-year-old bachelor he moved to the Swedish-American community of Kingsburg, California. Somewhere along the way he met Ellen, and they were married in 1931. Ellen was a steadfast Lutheran who “converted” Oscar to the Lutheran faith early in their courtship. The conversion was genuine; for the next 60 years, they were active members of Concordia Lutheran Church in Kingsburg.

The Ellbergs had no children of their own to put through college but they still supported quality education, including Kingsburg Union High School. As good stewards and at the appropriate time, they laid careful plans for the allocation of their earthly resources. Chief among their interests was the desire to assist future students at California Lutheran University who were preparing for either pastoral ministry or social work. Surprisingly, the Ellbergs had no previous relationship with CLU. They just felt this was the right thing to do.

It was only after Oscar’s death in 1986 that CLU learned of the bequest that he and Ellen had so carefully arranged in their estate. Due to unforeseen legal matters it took a few years for the actual transfer of funds, but the bequest created a generous endowment. The Oscar and Ellen Ellberg Scholarship was first awarded in 1994 to three carefully selected students. Recipients must have both great financial need and high professional goals. The Ellbergs were very faithful stewards of their earthly resources, and many students have reaped the rewards of their foresight.