Carolyn King Scholarship Endowment

Established in April 2010 to provide scholarships benefitting students attending West Valley College.

Carolyn King's relationship with West Valley College goes back quite a way - even before 1973, when, as a mother of three daughters, she was the valedictorian and gave a speech at the 9th annual graduation ceremony. Her presentation, titled "Aspirations and Attitudes" spoke of the good fortune of local area residents to have West Valley College in their midst. Her words ring true as much today as they did that afternoon on June 15th, 1973.

"West Valley is truly a community college, a resource offering something for every member of the community. In particular, as a returning student, I am grateful for having had a readily available re-entry point. At a college such as this, a large number of graduates are people who have already spent perhaps half of their lives with other commitments, pursuing different goals."

Born Carolyn Black, in San Francisco, Carolyn moved with her family to Saint Paul, Minnesota; Augusta, Georgia; Portland, Oregon; and eventually to Olympia, Washington, where she met Alan King, whom she married and with whom she raised three daughters, Mary, Katie, and Jennifer. Education, military service and jobs kept them moving for a while; then in 1965, Carolyn King and her family settled in Saratoga. She enrolled at West Valley College, earned a 3.9 GPA as a liberal arts student, and went on to establish her own career, working first for the Saratoga News and then for the city of Saratoga, where she worked her way up to the position of Assistant City Manager.

Retiring after 20 years with the City, Carolyn was actively involved with several non-profit groups, including the League of Women Voters, the Friends of the Library, where she served as President, and the Board of Girl Scouts.

Her husband, Alan, has established this endowment as a tribute to his wife; the woman who so eloquently addressed the graduating class of 1973, and whose relationship with and support of West Valley College never wavered.

The Carolyn King Scholarship Endowment provides financial assistance for deserving West Valley College students, regardless of major or course of study.