John and Lydia Nordberg Memorial Scholarship

The story of how this scholarship came to be is part of CLU’s history. It began in 1964 when John Nordberg accepted President Ray Olson’s invitation to become vice president for development at California Lutheran College. Nordberg was just completing a successful civil service career with the Federal Communications Commission and, as a longtime Lutheran layman, the thought of serving a Lutheran college appealed to him. He later became CLC’s director of estate planning and deferred giving. Along with his wife Lydia and their daughter Karen, John Nordberg took an active part in the Thousand Oaks community.

Mr. Nordberg was a native of Minnesota, attending Augsburg College for three years before graduating from George Washington University with a degree in mathematics. He served as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy during World War II, working in naval communications in New York City. He then worked for the Naval Observatory for five years before moving to the Federal Communications Commission where he eventually became chief of the Common Carrier Bureau, one of four FCC bureaus. At the FCC Nordberg served under six different presidents, retiring during President Lyndon Johnson’s administration.

Of Norwegian descent, Nordberg was interested in the culture of the Scandinavian nations. He felt that since CLC was founded by Lutherans of Scandinavian heritage, the college should seek to promote and preserve that precious heritage. And so he conceived the idea of an annual celebration to be observed by the college and shared with the entire community. He served as chairman of the first three years of the Scandinavian Days event, resigning only due to ill health after he had laid the groundwork for the fourth. Dr. Mark Mathews, president of CLC at the time, described the respect his colleagues felt for John Nordberg in this way: “John Nordberg’s leadership, inspiration and example brought innumerable friends into the fellowship and support of California Lutheran College. Always confident and gracious, even in the most difficult times, he provided a spirit of hope for all of us.”

Lydia Nordberg, John’s wife, shared his many endeavors, opening their home to innumerable college functions, over which she presided in a warm and welcoming manner. Together, they were active members of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. Following John’s death in 1977, Lydia moved to Texas, where she lived with her daughter until her death in 1984. From that time forward, the scholarship that they had begun became the John and Lydia Nordberg Memorial Scholarship. It was designated for political science majors hoping to go into government service, law or teaching.