Homer and Evelyn Price Scholarship

It is nearly impossible for someone living in the 21st century, with technology evident in almost every sphere of life, to imagine what life was like when Homer Bryan Price was born in 1896. But if ever there was an individual who packed loads of living into 100 years of life, it was Homer.

Homer was born on a farm in Missouri. He attended a one-room grade school, completed high school and then earned a teaching license from Kirksville Teachers College. His first teaching job was a one-room schoolhouse near his home where he taught all eight grades. He commuted to work by horse and sometimes by buggy. After two years, he moved to Denver where he took a job as postal clerk and began attending classes at the University of Denver. In 1918 he married a former schoolmate, Ruth Daniels, to whom he was married for 37 years.

In 1921, Homer and Ruth moved to Minneapolis, where Homer earned his degree in anthropology at the University of Minnesota. He gradually moved west and taught for short periods in Wyoming, Arizona and finally California. During the Depression years, Homer went five years without regular work. He began teaching high school mathematics at Banning High School, a position that lasted for 24 years. He earned his master’s in education from the University of Southern California in 1942. Ruth died in 1955.

The second half of Homer’s life was much more rewarding. While he was serving as head counselor at Banning High School, he met and soon married Evelyn Gustafson. Evelyn had been born in Los Angeles where she attended public schools, including two years at Los Angeles Community College. She worked as an accountant for ten years before joining the WAVES in 1943, completing her military career with the rank of lieutenant. The GI bill allowed her to earn her bachelor’s degree at Pepperdine College and her master’s at USC. From that point on, she worked in education, with teaching positions at Pepperdine and Banning High School, a high school vice principal position, and then seven years teaching at Cal State University-Los Angeles.

Homer and Evelyn lived a full, happy 40 years together before Homer’s death in 1997. They were long-time members of Angelica Lutheran Church in Los Angeles, but they attended First Lutheran in Torrance near their home. Their marriage and partnership can best be described as dedicated. They were dedicated to each other, to their Lutheran faith, to their church, to stewardship, and certainly to their family and friends. It was their Lutheran faith and love of education that drew them to California Lutheran College in 1960 when they became Fellows of CLC. Their regular gifts supported both the academic and the capital growth of the young university.

When they decided to create their own endowed scholarship in 1990, it was the apex of their joint endeavors at CLU. They eventually settled on a design that would reflect their lifetime commitment to education. The Homer and Evelyn Price Scholarship is designated for an upper-division or fifth-year education major preparing to teach either mathematics or special education.