John C. Shamel Memorial Scholarship

The year was 1963. The Shamels, Chester (Chet) and Ruth, were longtime residents of Ohio, but they were intrigued by news of the new Lutheran college starting up on the West Coast. First they decided to respond to the call for financial support through a group called Fellows of CLEF. They made what was then considered a major pledge—$1,000—to the new enterprise. In so doing, the couple established an early relationship with Dr. Raymond Olson, the president of CLC, and Chet made known his interest in becoming a CLC faculty member.

Chet had been a successful insurance executive back in Ohio, but he also had the necessary credentials to teach, including a doctoral degree. Chet was excited about the future of CLC, and he was convinced that it would succeed, in part due to the choice of the motto, “Love of Christ, Truth and Freedom.” In 1967 Chet’s persistence paid off and he became a member of CLC’s education department faculty.

The Shamels had one son—John—who served his country in the Western Pacific. He was warmly welcomed home by his parents in 1964 but sadly passed away in 1972. Chet and Ruth had a wide circle of friends in California and Ohio who made many memorial gifts at John’s death. Their gifts created the fund that eventually became the endowed John C. Shamel Memorial Scholarship.

Unfortunately, it became necessary for Chet to take early retirement due to disability in 1978. He and Ruth spent their final years in Texas, where Chet passed away in 1990 and Ruth in 1998. While their time at CLC was shorter than they might have wished, the scholarship in memory of their son John lives on. Given Chet’s experience as a member of the education faculty, their criterion for the scholarship was simple: The John C. Shamel Memorial Scholarship is designated for a student preparing for a career in teaching.