Brad and Lisa Wilson Scholarship

Brad and Lisa Wilson could be a poster couple for Cal Lutheran. They met as students on campus, fell in love and completed their degrees before getting married. Brad graduated in 1981 with a major in geology. Lisa followed in 1983 with a major in biology. After their marriage in 1985, they moved to Anchorage, Alaska, where Lisa worked for Burroughs Wellcome and Brad became employed with Unocal. At one point Brad and his two brothers, Greg and Jeff, were all living in Anchorage.

By nature, Brad was an entrepreneur, and Alaska provided the right venue. While Unocal had hired him based on his geology degree, Brad saw opportunities opening up in property management and investment that lured him away. Before long, Brad and Lisa’s typical year included eight months in Alaska and four months in Park City, Utah, where they could ski. Fortunately, Brad and Lisa could conduct their Alaska business affairs from their computer and telephone in Utah. As their family grew to include three daughters, they eventually made Park City their permanent home. It was also a great launch pad for their love of travel.

Even though they were living far from campus, the Wilsons’ love for CLU never waned. For them, it was the people that made the campus so special and who had left such an enduring impact on their lives. The personal experiences they had as students motivated Brad and Lisa to consider establishing a scholarship in 1993, in the hope that they might help other students make their own happy memories.

The Wilsons took a unique approach to scholarship support. They wanted their scholarship awards to make a genuine difference for the students. In addition to the monetary support provided by the scholarships, they offered a mentor relationship, taking an active role in the progress of the recipients. In 1996, that type of donor/student relationship was discontinued, and at that point the Wilsons endowed the Brad and Lisa Wilson Scholarship. They altered its focus by designating it for promising incoming freshmen who would otherwise find it impossible to attend CLU without significant financial assistance. The scholarship was also renewable until the student graduated.

Brad and Lisa did not restrict their support of CLU to scholarships. Brad became a regent in 1996, serving nine years and exercising his leadership skills in positive ways. Lisa, who wanted to attend CLC from the first time she witnessed a CLC Sunday as a teenager, became a Convocator in 2010 and served faithfully. Together Lisa and Brad threw their support behind their alma mater in every way possible, making them a great role model for other alumni.