Timothy Alan Hughes Memorial Scholarship

Timothy Alan “Tim” Hughes was an extremely talented young man. He grew up in Lancaster, California, where he was encouraged to develop his musical abilities at the keyboard. He came as a student to California Lutheran College where, under the tutelage of the music faculty, he expanded his keyboard skills to include organ technique.

Tim graduated as a music major in 1976. With his parents’ support, he opened his own music studio in Lancaster. It was a long-held dream come true and he was very happy. In 1978, Tim made an automobile trip to Oregon where he was killed in a traffic accident. And his dream, so recently realized, came to an abrupt and tragic end.

Because Tim still had many friends among the CLC faculty and student body, a memorial scholarship was established by his parents. Since they wanted to ensure the future of the scholarship, they regularly contributed to the fund to bring it to the level required for an endowed scholarship. One unexpected and very beautiful gift to the fund came from Tim’s early piano instructor. The instructor had thought so much of Tim’s promising future that he had included a gift for Tim in his estate. That bequest helped the endowment grow significantly.

From the start, the Timothy Alan Hughes Memorial Scholarship was designated as a music scholarship. The Hughes family, including daughter Jocelyn ‘77, chose to have it awarded to junior or senior music majors who show promise in the field of piano and/or organ. Tim Hughes is still remembered as one of CLU’s early and most promising musical talents.