Gulsrud Family Scholarship

If there were ever anyone with the heart of a pure servant, it was Ernie Gulsrud, with his wife Muriel ever present at his side. Even in his declining years at Riverview Care Center in Spokane, Ernie was known for his generosity and Christian spirit. Both Ernie and Muriel were lifelong Lutherans. The list of his service to CLU is a long one, but here are some of the highlights:

Ernie was a Founding Fellow, Founding Regent, board member of California Lutheran Educational Foundation (CLEF), and member of the Orville Dahl Society. He served on the CLC Board of Regents from 1959 to the mid-80s and as board president in 1961. For his many contributions to the college, Ernie was awarded an honorary doctorate from CLC in 1971.

The Gulsrud family included six children—three girls and three boys. Three of the Gulsrud children became CLU alumni—Linda ’64, Paul ’70 and Mark ’72. Both Ernie and Muriel had graduated from St. Olaf College, with Ernie pursuing a graduate degree in business at NYU. Together they supported every phase of CLU’s development.

Ernie joined the J. C. Penney Company in 1935. When he was promoted to manager, he and Muriel moved to Santa Monica, where his reputation was as stellar as it was at CLU. For his entire 38 years Penney’s he was known for his personal integrity, outstanding business ethics and steadfast spiritual values. Ernie’s Christian faith was evident in his service to his church, community and family. As he described his viewpoint, “I believe we are put here for a purpose and every day we live is a gift.”

In 1988 Ernie and Muriel established the Gulsrud Family Scholarship, with leadership and Christian faith as the two main criteria for the awards. The scholarship was first awarded on Honors Day 1990. It may be awarded to a student of any class level, including students pursuing their teaching credential and graduate students. The generous criteria are so typical of the Gulsruds, who were known for their kindness and generosity to all.

Muriel passed away in 1993. Ernie outlived her by ten years, and during that time, he remarried. His new wife, Mary Tate-Gulsrud, was a lovely, caring woman.

The Gulruds had an impact on CLU beyond the Gulsrud Family Scholarship. When Ernie died, the family asked that memorial gifts to be used to update the baptismal font in the narthex of Samuelson Chapel on campus. Ernie’s son Mark, artist par excellence, designed the font in addition to creating the chapel’s beautiful stained glass windows that still provide inspiration to worshippers today.