Chrystal Allen Memorial Endowed Presidential Scholarship Fund

The Chrystal Allen Memorial Endowed Presidential Scholarship Fund was established at Luther Seminary in 1996, when John W. Allen transferred the principal from the Chrystal Allen Endowed Fund at the ELCA Foundation. The fund was established by John to honor the memory of his first wife, Chrystal, to whom he was married for more than fifty years. Both John and Chrystal were strong lay leaders in their congregation. Chrystal served as the church organist at Minnetonka Lutheran Church in Minnetonka, Minn., for thirty years. Together, John and Chrystal volunteered for three years with the World Brotherhood Exchange Program; they spent their first year working in Madagascar, the second working with the Radio Voice of the Gospel, and the third working with the Lutheran Publishing House in South Africa. Chrystal’s guiding Bible verse was Joshua 24:15, ‘But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.’ This fund grants Presidential Scholarships, which are merit-based scholarships, in an effort to attract the brightest and most highly qualified students to Luther Seminary.