Leroy Elwing Art Award

Leroy Elwing was a man in love with life . . . all day, every day. His animated spirit permeated everything he did. He was also blessed with a great sense of pride in the fact that he was thoroughly Swedish-American and thoroughly Lutheran. His lifelong devotion to his Swedish heritage gave him a strong connection to CLU, especially through the Scandinavian Festival held on campus every spring.

Leroy was born and educated on Chicago’s South Side, but he was proud of the fact that both parents were born in Sweden. He made seven trips to Sweden during his lifetime. After serving as Army Engineer in World War II, he moved to Northern California in 1951. He had several short-term jobs before joining the U. S. Postal Service in Santa Clara, from which he retired in 1973. During his working years he bought his first home, a modest three-bedroom house for which he paid $20,000. That purchase was followed by a period of high-volume technology growth, and Leroy’s home in Santa Clara was right in the middle of Silicon Valley. At just the right time, he sold his home for $389,000 and suddenly found himself a wealthy man.

Leroy loved to attend CLU events, and he enjoyed meeting new people. If you were even part-Swedish, you were his friend for life. One of his best friends was Dr. Jerald Slattum, chair of CLU’s art department, who was from Sweden. Dr. Slattum often went out of his way to do thoughtful things for Leroy. For example, he served as the master of ceremonies at Leroy’s 80th birthday party and arranged to meet Leroy’s train when he came to Thousand Oaks for Scandinavian Day.

After Leroy sold his house, he realized he had some major decisions to make, and he relied on his Thrivent agent for advice. His first major decision was to endow a music scholarship. Then, because of his long-standing relationship with Dr. Slattum but also in recognition of his own appreciation of artistic talent, Leroy created the Leroy Elwing Art Award. The award functions as a scholarship and is designated for an upper-division art major. It can be used for either tuition or study abroad.