It’s a fact that people who really want to give will find a way. Such was the case with LaVonne and Lee Broadway. They were active in their church, Gethsemane Lutheran in La Crescenta, and LaVonne was a regular volunteer in her local thrift store and the offices of...

“Love and marriage, love and marriage/go together like a horse and carriage This, I tell you, brother, you can’t have one without the other.” Frank Sinatra used to croon those well-known lyrics written by Sammy Cahn. The words are very appropriate to the love story...

When Burton “Burt” Thorpe first became a regent at Cal Lutheran in 1968, he was working as the manager of administrative services at the Union Oil Center in Los Angeles. Burt had worked for Union Oil for 26 years in various managerial positions through the Western...

Byron and Kathryn Swanson liked to do things together whenever possible. If you called their home you would likely talk to both of them. When they were invited to direct CLU’s senior mentor program, they agreed to be co-directors. And once they decided to endow a...

After a positive experience with a Lutheran elementary school and their enjoyment of the annual Cal Lutheran Christmas Concert, Rosemary and Gerald Capodieci wished to make a difference at the university. Proud that Cal Lutheran embodies their core values and with...

Dr. Rudolph Edmund was a man of singular focus. He dedicated his life to caring for the earth and the gifts of creation. And he was equally committed to his faith in the Creator of the earth. For Rudy Edmund, it was all one package. A faithful Lutheran and proud...

The Caring Transitions Music Scholarship and the Caring Transitions Religion Scholarship were established by 1978 alumna Rhonda Sias and her husband, Tony. As a former music performance major in piano and voice, Rhonda wanted to give back to California Lutheran...

There is little information about the Carl and Helen Veblen Scholarship in the files of California Lutheran University. As a consequence, not much is known about them as a couple. Correspondence from the college to the Veblens paints a partial picture of the Veblens,...

Often those who achieve success in the world of commerce are not as successful in living a spiritual life, but Carl Terzian achieved great success in both temporal and spiritual worlds. He had a thriving career in the field of public relations and marketing, and he...

Both the City of Thousand Oaks and California Lutheran University owe a debt of gratitude to the Bowen family. For Betty Shirey Bowen, a founding faculty member of the CLU music department, had a major impact on the cultural development of the Conejo Valley through...

She was always well groomed, beautifully coifed, poised for action . . . and restricted to her wheelchair. However, no one was ever allowed to express pity for Catherine “Bette” Eaton. She was as intelligent and competent as anyone to accomplish any given task. That...

This scholarship story is also a love story. Charles “Chuck” and Diana Hagen met in college, not an unusual occurrence in itself. But the setting for their romance certainly was. They met as student workers in the cafeteria of the University of Chicago, where Chuck’s...

The Belgum name is familiar to many Lutherans, and it is a name that is especially recognized at California Lutheran University. Dr. Gerhard Belgum was a highly regarded pastor, theologian, and professor of theology and church history who established the center for...

Was it a guilty conscience or a fine-tuned sense of integrity—or a little of both—that finally motivated a former student to pay her old education debt to the University? That answer may remain unknown, but it is part of the story of this unusual scholarship. In 1980...

Clara Knopfler is a Holocaust survivor, renowned speaker and author of the memoir “I Am Still Here, My Mother’s Voice.” In honor of Clara and her contributions to education, Jewish life on campus, and peace among all people, Cal Lutheran has created this scholarship...

Leadership is one of those qualities every university hopes to instill in its students by the time they graduate. The class of 1989 certainly didn’t have a monopoly on that particular quality, but it did have its share of fine leaders, as this scholarship...

It is difficult today to imagine the excitement that occurred 50 years ago among Lutherans and Lutheran churches when news spread about the possibility of a new Lutheran college in Southern California. But enthusiasm, faith and support for that vision were so high...

In the first half-century of California Lutheran University’s existence, the enthusiasm and spirit of the college’s supporters were boundless for the college they envisioned. The 225-acre gift of Pederson ranch land on which the new college was built was inviting and...

In 1965, if you were a female member of the faculty, administration or staff, or if you were the wife or widow of that same group, you were automatically a member of the Women’s League of California Lutheran College. Most of the members were proud to be included and...

It seems instinctive for people to want to leave some kind of memory marker for lives lived faithfully and with purpose. That was the intention of Don and Blenna Stevens following the death of her mother, Martha Norvelle, in the spring of 2000. Don and Blenna...

It was 1974, and a beautiful, professionally dressed young woman was on her way to her job with the Internal Revenue Service in Southern California. In addition to her beauty and intellect, she was equipped with a business administration degree from California...

What began as a rather mysterious award in 1986 ultimately turned into a challenging opportunity for biology and chemistry majors at CLU. Originally the award was created by a person who modestly preferred to remain anonymous. But that attitude changed, and then...

Three members of the California Lutheran College staff met in 1963 to brainstorm ways that they could stimulate the interest of Thousand Oaks businesses in the athletic and cultural programs of the college. And thus the Community Leaders Association (CLA) was born....

This scholarship, which was established on June 17, 1959, deserves to be right at the top of any list of California Lutheran scholarships. That’s because it was one of the very first gifts ever to be received by CLC specifically for a scholarship, and it was given by...

In February 1960 an event called Creative Options: A Day for Women was held for the first time on the CLC campus. It was the brainchild of women, and its success was mainly due to the leadership and planning of the director of women’s programs. The event’s purpose...

Following his retirement in 1983 Dr. C. Robert Zimmerman’s contributions to California Lutheran College were described in a letter from the college thanking donors to the scholarship in his name. “The impact of his professional expertise, his personal commitment and...

Cynthia Bachofer took the road less traveled when she entered California Lutheran College in 1970 and became a geology major. She was greatly influenced in that decision by her favorite professor, Dr. James Evensen, who chaired the geology department. She was also...

This narrative is actually two stories melded into one. The first is the account of an unusual 60-year friendship between two women whose lives took them in different directions professionally but who remained friends. Sarah Heath ’70 and Marcia Trombold grew up in...

After Darrin Deveau was killed in an automobile accident in November 1996, not one but three personal letters—one from the University president, two from professors in the MBA program—let Jack and Carol Deveau know how much they much they had enjoyed knowing their...

The David and Alma Stoeve Scholarship file at CLU holds very little information about the Stoeves, but what it does contain is a heartwarming impression of a widow’s love for her husband. It is important to recall that California Lutheran University’s beginnings were...