Gerald R. Yelkin Memorial Scholarship

California Lutheran College was a college of the Lutheran church, so it was not unusual for pastors to introduce their congregation members to CLC. In July 1964 Pastor Philip A. Jordan notified President Raymond Olson that the Yelkins, members of his congregation, were interested in establishing a scholarship in memory of their son Gerald. In his letter to CLC, Pastor Jordan explained that Gerald, an 18-year-old high school senior and faithful member of his congregation, had been killed in a tragic auto accident three months earlier, in April 1964. His parents were seeking an appropriate way to honor his life.

Robert and Eva Yelkin, Gerald’s parents, lived in Fresno where they owned a drive-in restaurant and were faithful members of Trinity Lutheran Church. In addition to Gerald, they had a younger son, Bill. They were a hard-working, middle-class family who took their Christian stewardship seriously. Creating a scholarship was a big commitment for them, but they felt led to do it. Gerald’s death occurred just a few weeks before his high school graduation, and he had decided to attend CLC with the intention of preparing for seminary and eventually the Lutheran ministry.

With memorial gifts from friends and fellow church members along with their own first gift, Robert and Eva initiated the process of creating the Gerald R. Yelkin Memorial Scholarship with the help of CLC administrators. In order to build the scholarship fund to the point where it would become an endowment, they committed to monthly gifts. That commitment was a challenge for them to keep, but through the next several years, they managed to honor their pledge. They were pleased to be named CLC Fellows in 1965.

The criteria determined by Robert and Eva for the Gerald R. Yelkin Memorial Scholarship were that the recipient should be an upper-division (preferably senior) student preparing for the seminary. That was Gerald’s unrealized dream.