Melville and Barbara Price Scholarship

Melville (Mel) and Barbara Price lived their entire 26 years of married life in Porterville, California. They devoted their professional lives to education—Mel as a teacher and principal for 33 years following military service and Barbara as a teacher of kindergarten, third and seventh grades. Barbara also taught piano at a private music studio in their home. In addition to Barbara’s involvement in all things musical, the couple shared a love of art, history and travel. They retired in 1972.

Education was truly the focus of their lives. With no children of their own to put through college, Mel and Barbara chose to help international students wanting to study in the United States. Since their church supported students from Ghana, they threw their financial support behind two especially determined young men who had chosen to attend California Lutheran College.

The Prices had become accustomed to sending their gifts of support directly to the college for the Ghana students. They continued their gifts for scholarships long after the young men had graduated. At that point, CLU staff suggested they consider the idea of creating a permanent scholarship bearing their names. It took several years for Mel and Barbara to latch onto the idea that this was not a self-serving plan but a way of combining their pattern of giving with their desire to support college students.

Once the decision was made to establish the Melville and Barbara Price Scholar-ship, the goal of an endowed fund was reached and quickly surpassed through their generous stewardship. The Prices requested simply that the scholarship recipient be a sophomore, junior or senior “who shows potential and perseverance.”

Mel died in 1997, but Barbara’s support of CLU continued. In addition to the scholarship, when Barbara learned that the Regents Council was raising funds to purchase a Yamaha piano for the Overton recital hall, she made the wonderful gesture of providing the amount needed to complete the purchase. Thus her love of music added yet another blessing to the lives of CLU students.