Storvick Memorial Scholarship

Those who became Founding Fellows of California Lutheran College were a group of men and women who believed that God, with their help and financial support, could build a college out of a ranch. The names of Rev. Alfred Otto Storvick and his wife Hortense were on that elite list.

Reverend Storvick was the founding pastor of St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Lakewood, California, and served that church from 1952 to 1965. His ministry spanned 49 years in which he built a reputation as a pioneering pastor and educator. An Iowa native, he had received his undergraduate education at Luther College in Iowa and his seminary training at Luther Theological Seminary in Minnesota. Pastor Storvick served three churches in South Dakota and had a ten-year pastorate in Chicago before coming to California. He was a vigorous advocate of Lutheran higher education and served on the Board of Regents of both Augustana and Luther colleges before becoming a Founding Fellow of CLC.

Hortense Storvick was a true partner in her husband’s ministry. She was known as a good speaker and enthusiastic supporter of Lutheran higher education. She was also the capable mother of four children—three sons and one daughter. Son Daniel attended and graduated from CLC in 1969 before following in his father’s footsteps and entering the Lutheran ministry.

Pastor Storvick’s final church assignment was at Our Saviour’s Lutheran in Long Beach. After he died in 1973, it was a gift from that congregation that launched the Storvick Memorial Scholarship. Many other friends and followers contributed to the scholarship fund. Hortense Storvick continued to live in Long Beach until 1983 when she moved to Southland Lutheran Home in Norwalk. She passed away in 1987.

The Storvick Memorial Scholarship was awarded for the first time in 1974. The criteria for its recipients are clear and simple. The scholarship is to be awarded to an upper-division Lutheran student majoring in either education or religion. Many outstanding students have received this endowed award through the years.