Kingsmen Quartet Scholarship

When an institution is young, it’s difficult to know which traditions will really live on. It was clear early on, however, that the Kingsmen Quartet was a Cal Lutheran tradition that was meant to be. And that probably depended in large part on the makeup of the very first Kingsmen Quartet—Jim Bessey ’66, Bill Ewing ’65, Karsten Lundring ’65 and Bryan Spafford ’65. Together they became the musical “happy face” of CLC.

The original Kingsmen Quartet did more than sing for their own and others’ enjoyment. They also dabbled in campus recruitment. This came about when they were hired by the college to travel with Coach Bob Shoup to spread the word about the young institution in California that was going places. They traveled with the coach throughout the Southwest and across the country to Minneapolis, Sioux Falls, Detroit, New York City, Philadelphia and Colorado Springs. Their repertoire included sacred, spiritual, barbershop, novelty and popular numbers that enabled them to meet any type of situation. But they were also four young men who enjoyed what they did and enjoyed each other’s company.

When the original four graduated, other Kingsmen Quartets followed. In 1986, because they cherished the memories of their own experiences, quartet members decided that they wanted to ensure that same experience for others. And thus the idea of creating a Kingsmen Quartet Scholarship was born. Efforts were made to solicit support from alumni, but it was ultimately the first quartet who helped the fund reach its endowment goal.

The first Kingsmen Quartet Scholarship awarded from the endowed fund was on Honors Day 1989. It was the goal of the donors to be able to make four awards each year, one to each member of the quartet. It took time but that goal too was reached. The first quartet’s friendship continued through the years, as did their willingness to get together to sing whenever someone asked. This was, they firmly believed, a tradition well worth preserving.