John and Marjorie Price Memorial Scholarship

Living less than two miles from the campus of California Lutheran College was one of CLC’s staunchest and most loyal supporters. Her name was Marjorie Price, and her faithful gifts to the college began when she became a widow in 1976.

Marjorie and her husband John had three children, Gerald, Craig and Anne. Gerald graduated from CLC in 1968 in accounting; Anne graduated in 1972 in biological sciences and went on to earn her MBA in 1979. In 1989 the next generation came to the campus which was now California Lutheran University when Marjorie’s granddaughter, Craig’s daughter Kathryn, enrolled. And 20 years later yet another grandchild, Gerald’s daughter Christa, came to CLU, soon adding her name to the growing list of CLU alumni with the last name of Price.

Marjorie lived a modest life on a modest income, but her giving to CLU was regular and dependable. When her husband died, she initially funded the John Price Memorial Scholarship with her annual gifts and memorial gifts received at his death. The scholarship was first awarded to a journalism major in 1983.

With encouragement from Marjorie, other family members helped to keep the fund alive. But when Marjorie passed away in 1998 the fund lost its major champion. Later that same year Marjorie’s daughter Anne picked up the baton, vowing to help the scholarship fund reach the minimum level for endowment. At the time that level was $5,000. The next year three checks totaling $5,000 arrived in the CLU Advancement office—one from each of the three Price children.

The pledge was fulfilled, and from that moment forward the scholarship was renamed the John and Marjorie Price Memorial Scholarship. In keeping with the family’s love of words, the scholarship was designated for upper-division English or journalism majors who rank at the top of their class academically. Thus, what began with a slow but steady stream of modest gifts ended up as a permanent and coveted CLU scholarship award.