Ralph Porter Business Administration Scholarship

Ralph Porter (55) was involved in Western and the Gunnison community for more than sixty years. He established this scholarship in 1987 to assist Business Administration students. He also created the Ralph Porter Athletic Scholarship and the Ralph Porter Memorial Scholarship.

Ralph Porter came to Western in 1923 from Crawford, Colorado. Mr. Porter’sfirst love was Western Colorado University. For the next forty years as a student, secretary to President Quigley, treasurer, and business manager he devoted his life to the betterment of the college. In 1962, Ralph retired from Western and was elected to the Colorado Legislature. He continued to support WCU and the Gunnison Country for ten years as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives. He passed away in 1991.

Ralph’sdaughter, Polly Spann, states that, “Ralph spent most of his adult life working for WCU and he was happiest when he could help some student get an education. He had a special rapport with the students; helping them get jobs, tutoring them and especially loaning them money out of his own pocket. It is not surprising to me that he established scholarships to help so many students.”

The message of encouragement for the recipients of this scholarship is:

Education is the most important thing you can get out of life.
It can never be taken away from you.

ELIGIBILITY:
Be a full-time student at WCU
Declared business major
Have a GPA of 3.0 or higher