Helen Ramsey’s House of Prayer Lutheran Church Scholarship

CLU choir members may sometimes question their role as ambassadors for the University, but this story erases any doubts about their positive effect on all those fortunate enough to hear them perform.

Helen Ramsey was a quiet, unpretentious and exceptionally faithful member of her church, House of Prayer Lutheran Church in Escondido. When the church doors were open, she was there. Helen was widowed when her husband Dean died in his early 60s. They had been avid rock and gem hunters together for years, but following his death, Helen gradually became involved in some of her own personal interests—the church choir, a women’s barbershop quartet and the church’s bell choir.

Soon after she was widowed, Helen learned that she had leukemia. Her immediate reaction was to refuse treatment. However, her pastor and friends convinced her otherwise. To her surprise, when the treatments were over, she was able to pick up where she left off with her activities and commitments. It was a shock to everyone to learn of her death, apparently from a heart attack, three days after worshipping with friends one Sunday.

The Ramseys had one son who, as an adult, chose not to be a part of his parents’ lives. As Helen pondered over her responsibilities as a Christian steward, she made a decision that directly affected California Lutheran University. Her congregation had had a long history of sending students to CLU, and Helen had attended the CLU choir concerts whenever one was scheduled in her area. She was impressed with what she saw and heard. She loved young people and she loved education; thus it was relatively easy to combine those priorities in her decisions for her trust.

The Helen Ramsey’s House of Prayer Lutheran Church Scholarship is the culmination of all that Helen found most meaningful in life. Her legacy to CLU was this endowed scholarship for members of her congregation to attend CLU either as undergraduates or as students in the teacher credential preparation program. When possible, the scholarship may be extended to Lutheran students who are from the greater Escondido area.

Who would have thought that CLU choir performances so enjoyed by this donor would in turn inspire her to make such a lovely gift for future CLU students?