Wilbert and Darlene Carlson Scholarship

Even the best laid plans can go awry. Just ask Will and Darlene Carlson. They were content in their retirement, had their house paid off, had met with their attorney to construct their trust, and were enjoying a day-to-day leisurely lifestyle. Then the unexpected happened. Dee, their 52-year old daughter, suddenly passed away, rocking their well-planned world.

Will and Darlene are not native Californians. They moved to the state from Minnesota in 1950 as newlyweds, just in time for him to be drafted to serve in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Will earned his high school diploma while in the Army, and once he had that, he knew he wanted even more education. He attended Northrop’s Institute of Technology, eventually working his way up to upper management in the aerospace industry in San Diego. His crowning achievement was his retirement from Northrop in 1988.

Will’s talents go far beyond his professional accomplishments. When he and Darlene moved to Camarillo in 1967, he began to exercise his creative side by carving accurate, life-size and realistic birds and other small animals from wood, winning several prizes for his work. Darlene always finds a place of honor for each new carving somewhere in their home. She is also to be credited for turning Will into a Lutheran and convincing him to join an active square-dancing group.

In developing their estate plan, the Carlsons knew they wanted to establish a scholarship at CLU where their daughter had received her undergraduate degree in history in 1978. But they did not expect the scholarship to become a reality as soon as it did. After CLU, Dee had worked as a parole officer and later as an adult education administrator for the Oxnard School District. When she died in 2009, countless friends and fellow church members reached out and made gifts in her memory.

And so, to honor Dee’s professional achievements, Will and Darlene designed the Wilbert and Darlene Carlson Scholarship very simply—to be awarded to a CLU student who is preparing for a teaching career.