Lewis and Emma Oleson Scholarship

Lewis and Emma Oleson Scholarship

This scholarship marks the beginning of the endowed scholarship program now in existence at California Lutheran University. It begins with the Lewis Oleson family, and with their pride in their Norwegian background, their family and their involvement in the Lutheran Church.

Here is a summary of the Olesons’ family life up until they came to California:

• June 4, 1868—Lewis Oleson was born in Stoughton, Wisconsin.
• August 31, 1872—Emma Hanson was born in Badger, Iowa.
• 1894—Lewis and Emma were married and moved to a farm in Fenton, Iowa.
• 1915—In the midst of a bitterly cold winter, Lewis and Emma vacationed in CA.
• 1919—The Oleson family (including five children) moved to Long Beach, CA.

The Olesons were lifelong Lutherans—first in Iowa, later in Long Beach and finally, in Los Angeles. In March 1958, Lewis and Emma celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary. Two months later, one month shy of his 90th birthday, Lewis passed away, leaving Emma a widow.

Later that same year, Emma Oleson, 86 years old and a semi-invalid, learned that a group of Lutherans was trying to create a new college in Southern California. At that point, Emma realized that her desire to memorialize Lewis and her heartfelt wish to encourage the progress of the new Lutheran institution could work together.

With her son Leonard and daughter Ora Turner at her side, Emma Oleson arranged to visit the office o CLC president Orville Dahl to discuss the possibility of a memorial scholarship at CLC. But first they had to find the campus. Their search ended at a ranch in the northeast corner of Thousand Oaks, where most of the buildings were chicken coops. The Olesons nonetheless pursued their quest, and on a historic day transferred $10,231.84 in securities to the college. The funds provided by Emma Oleson established the very first endowed scholarship at California Lutheran University. Little did she know that she had set the stage for many others to follow who had faith in the future of this fledgling institution.

Because the Lewis and Emma Oleson Scholarship was CLC’s first official scholarship agreement with a donor, procedures and details were not well established, so it was to be expected that some problems would arise. Emma initially requested that the scholarship be preserved for her children and grandchildren for 21 years, a criterion later ruled out by the Internal Revenue Service. To the disappointment of Emma’s children Leonard and Ora, no family members chose to attend CLC. But with the assistance of CLC vice president Ken Siegele, the Lewis and Emma Oleson Scholarship was announced and awarded for the first time in 1983. Criteria were and remain: a 3.5 grade point average, financial need and demonstration of good citizenship and service to mankind. The relationship between CLC and the family continued until Leonard’s death in 1985 and Ora’s in 2004.