Leroy Elwing Music Scholarship

Leroy Elwing was a man in love with life . . . all day, every day. His animated spirit permeated everything he touched. He was also blessed with a great sense of pride in the fact that he was thoroughly Swedish 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 would be the first to tell you that both his parents were born in Sweden and that he had made seven trips to the homeland during his lifetime. After serving as Army Engineer in World War II, Leroy moved to Northern California in 1951. He held several short-term jobs before joining the U.S. Postal Service in Santa Clara, from which he retired in 1973. During that time, he bought his first home, a modest three-bedroom house in Santa Clara for which he paid $20,000. That purchase was followed by a period of high-volume technology growth, and Leroy’s home 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’s first love was music, especially Scandinavian music. He sang and traveled with the Swedish Men’s Chorus for more than fifty years. At one time he was singing with four separate choirs, including his church choir. He enjoyed the single life and regarded his vast number of friends as his family. He was a great collector of memorabilia, especially from his many trips to Sweden.

Fortunately, when Leroy realized he had some major decisions to make regarding his newfound wealth, he relied on his Thrivent agent for advice. The combination of his relationship with CLU and his love of music convinced Leroy that his number one priority was to create an endowed music scholarship. The Leroy Elwing Music Scholarship is designed for a music major, either an undergraduate or graduate student, who hopefully has an interest in the Scandinavian musical heritage.

In a separate act of generosity, Leroy included in his will a bequest to CLU’s choral music program. CLU students may not have the opportunity to meet the man who enjoyed life to the hilt, but they will long enjoy the benefits of his philanthropy.