Scholarships from this fund are awarded to descendants of current or deceased members of Grace Lutheran Church in Lily Lake and/or the American Legion Post 630 in Elburn.
Carl Edward Swanson and Clara Magnusson Swanson were born in Sweden. They met after immigrating to America.
They lived in Aurora for a short time after their marriage and then moved to Lily Lake where they farmed on land owned by Hicks Downing of Elburn.
After World War I, they moved to the Balwahn Farm north of Wasco. Shortly thereafter, they farmed on the Miller Farm south of Wasco.
In 1932, they quit farming and sold their livestock at auction. They then lived on the Smart Farm in what is now Campton Hills.
In 1933, they bought a 110-ten acre farm in Lily Lake. Sadly, Mr. Swanson died four years later leaving his wife to manage the farm and raise their six remaining children.
Times were difficult for Mrs. Swanson and she nearly lost the farm. However, through hard work and determination, she and the children were able to maintain the farm. Mrs. Swanson died in 1969.
In 1983, the farm was sold by her children. A portion of the proceeds were given to the Community Foundation by the couple’s youngest child Carl R. Swanson (1927-2007) through a bequest from his estate.
His gift was accompanied by the following words: “My parents’ lives of hard work, family devotion and spirit were responsible for the good fortune of the eventual sale of their property. That same spirit and devotion were instilled in their children and there was never any animosity among them. With that in mind, this memorial is instituted.”
