George Ullman Family Scholarship

This story begins with the enrollment of George “Corky” Ullman, Jr., and his brother Steve as students at Cal Lutheran. They graduated in 1976 and 1977, respectively. Both were active in sports—Corky in football and Steve in wrestling. In 1986 the two brothers, who were also business partners, made their first gift toward a football scholarship in the Ullman family name “just to make it possible for kids from Santa Clarita Valley to attend CLU.”

One year later as their father was turning 60, a surprise gift of $10,000 arrived at CLU in honor of George Ullman, Sr.’s birthday. The gift was from his very good friend, Leo Hagopian, who thought it a fitting way to honor his friend. That birthday gift was the start of the endowed Ullman family scholarship. But in October 1989, the CLU Board of Regents voted to change to a different NCAA athletic conference, which meant that athletic scholarships were no longer permitted. The criteria for the Ullman scholarship needed to be made more general, and so they were. Nevertheless, Corky and Steve continued to be involved in finding potential students from the Santa Clarita Valley who could qualify for the scholarship.

George Ullman, Sr., passed away in 1989 of a massive heart attack. He was 61 years old. He had been a highly respected businessman, friend and family man. He was co-founder and chairman of the Bank of Hollywood, a bank that, in the words of his partner Terry Jorgensen, “would be a strong force for the improvement of the Hollywood community which he loved so much.” George and his wife Joy had three children—Corky, Steve and Shari. At the memorial service, Shari gave this tribute to her father: “He gave us the timeless gift of solid values, belief in ourselves and our abilities.” A flood of memorial gifts and tributes poured into CLU in George’s name.

The story continues. Starting in 1991, Steve and Corky changed the name of their company’s annual golf tournament to the “George Ullman Memorial Golf Tournament” with all proceeds designated to the George Ullman Family Scholarship. Those memorial tournaments continued for 10 years, adding substantially to the endowment of the scholarship. When George Sr.’s wife Joy passed away in 1994, many expressed their love for the family through gifts to the scholarship.

The Ullman brothers have had a strong and lasting influence on the development and progress of CLU through their loyalty and generosity. Corky was elected to the Board of Regents in 2001, serving four terms. The George Ullman Family Scholarship continues to draw students from the Santa Clarita Valley through the influence of the Ullman family.