Hummel Scholarship

Born, reared and educated in North Dakota, Henry Hummel loved gardening, woodworking and fishing. When he moved to Southern California he added traveling to his list of favorite things to do.

The son of a Lutheran pastor, Henry graduated from the State University of North Dakota. He first tried his hand at teaching school but soon decided to pursue other interests. In 1932 he and his wife Clarra moved to California, where he soon began a 35-year career as an aeronautical engineer with McDonnell Douglas.

When Henry retired the Hummels moved to Carpinteria where they planned to enjoy their leisure time, but Clarra’s death in 1978 altered those plans. Fortunately for Henry, he was lucky in love twice. He met Alice Dibbern and married her in 1979. Alice filled Henry’s life with love and “good livin’” (Henry’s words) for almost 20 years before he died in 1998.

Henry and Alice shared a strong Lutheran faith. Both were active in Faith Lutheran in Carpinteria where Henry served as an elder. Henry was also an active volunteer in the community. He was honored in 1993 as Volunteer of the Year—“Mr. Fix-it” by the senior recreation services department of the city of Santa Barbara.

With Alice’s help, Henry established the Hummel Scholarship in 1985 and spent the next several years building its endowment. The scholarship is designated for music majors—either an undergraduate or a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in music education.