Chris Montana Scholarship Endowment

The Chris Montana Scholarship Endowment was established in 2016 to provide a perpetual scholarship for outstanding West Valley College students majoring in Theater Arts.

Chris was born in San Jose, California and attended Leigh High School and West Valley College. After a brief illness, Chris passed away on Super Bowl Sunday 2015. He was survived by his mother Donna and his older brother Bret.

When Chris went to West Valley College he and his friends loved writing funny skits that had deep meanings but they presented them in an amusing manner. The skits they wrote were named "Open Minds" and "Where Do You Draw the Line."

Chris had a passion and talent for comedic acting, writing, and directing. He had a witty sense of humor, unique laugh, and engaging smile. He could watch a movie and immediately be able to quote entire dialogues. Reflecting back on the times they shared on stage, a fellow actor once said about Chris, "It was very important for Chris to make the crowd laugh. He always wanted to make people feel happy."

Chris also enjoyed the serenity of fishing and snorkeling especially in Maui and the excitement of watching the San Francisco Giants. He and his mom were at the game when Barry Bonds broke the home run record. Joe Montana was his favorite quarterback. He bought numerous memorabilia of the Giants and 49ers.