Ernest and Helen Alne Endowed Scholarship

Ernest (Ernie) Alne was a product of the Great Depression. He grew up in a family of strong Lutherans, in an environment where hard work was an everyday expectation. Ernie struggled to achieve a good education and earned his accounting degree from the University of Oregon. Early in his career as a certified public accountant, Ernie had a life-changing experience. A retired missionary to China challenged him and a group of his friends with the idea that his “purse” belonged to the Lord along with everything else. This was a new thought to Ernie, but his study of the Scriptures came to convince him of its truth. From that point on, Ernie was a loyal tither. Fortunately, his wife Helen shared that philosophy, and the couple committed10 percent of their income to charity.
So the story of this scholarship began years before the idea for it was ever put to paper. Ernie’s relationship with CLC/CLU began very early in the college’s history. In addition to being one of CLC’s Founding Fellows, he served on the Board of Regents for 12 years (1973-1985) and then on the California Lutheran Educational Foundation (CLEF) board for another nine years. Always concerned about CLU’s long-term financial stability, Ernie and Helen directed a significant portion of their tithe to the University, but their giving benefited their church and many other nonprofits as well.
In March 1998, while the Alnes were still living in Hemet, California, they contacted the University to share their plans for their scholarship. It is no surprise that they chose to have it awarded to students who have “an intense desire for a quality education within a Christian environment.” Before Ernie’s death in 2007, they created a charitable remainder trust that will eventually endow the Ernest and Helen Alne Endowed Scholarship for countless future students.