Ledebur Scholarship

This scholarship was a response to the Golden Rule—not so much “Do unto others as you would have them do to you” as “Do for others as someone has done for you.” It also had several names before being finalized as the Ledebur Scholarship.

It was with scholarship assistance that Mark Ledebur was able to attend CLU. He majored in computer science and was hired by TRW when he graduated in 1985. Mark was also an avid and very good tennis player. In 1986 he and a buddy, Michael Duffy, created a scholarship for tennis players, calling it the IMF Scholarship, which was an acronym for “Impossible Mission Force.” The scholarship was intended to serve as a recruiting tool for CLU tennis. The name of the fund soon evolved into the Ledebur/Duffy Scholarship, but the purpose remained the same. It was first awarded on Honors Day 1987.

In 1987 Mark married Kӓren Davis ’86. Mark’s work at TRW blossomed, and by taking advantage of TRW’s two-for-one matching gift policy, the couple was able to build the scholarship fund rather quickly to the endowment level. They also built their family with the addition of two sons—Luke and Chase.

In 1988, CLU’s Board of Regents voted to become a member of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and NCAA Division III. This permitted CLU to compete with schools that were similar in size and philosophy. The move strengthened CLU’s total athletic program, but it also changed the rules for the awarding of scholarships in athletics. From that point on, no scholarships could be awarded on the basis of participation in specific sports. Donors to CLU’s athletic scholarships were given three options: to change their award criteria, transfer funds to the endowed athletic fund or request a refund.

Fortunately, Mark and Kӓren chose to change the criteria for their scholarship, re-designating it for a student in computer science/math with financial need. They also decided to change the official name one last time to the Ledebur Scholarship. The newly endowed and renamed scholarship was first awarded on Honors Day 1989. The Ledeburs continued to build the endowment steadily even after relocating to Colorado where Mark took over his parents’ carpet business. With the growth of computer science as a major at CLU, this scholarship became a very coveted award.