Ron Lawson Memorial Scholarship

The purpose of the scholarship is to support full-time students majoring in Photography or the Photographic Arts who have a 3.0 GPA and answer the following question: In 350 words or less, share a story that demonstrates your love of Photography and why you have chosen to pursue it as a major.

This scholarship is awarded in memory of Ron Lawson, a photography instructor, who was one of the original staff members at Southwestern College. The scholarship is intended for students interested in pursuing photography.

Ron Lawson graduated from La Jolla High School in 1946 before his collegiate studies at SDSU, UCLA, and UC Berkeley. He served with the Army National Guard during the Korean War. He began his teaching career at Chula Vista High School. Over the years, he taught English, drafting, yearbook, and journalism, worked as a school counselor, held a position with the California Teachers Association, was the stadium announcer for football games, and taught at the NewSchool of Architecture & Design. He is best remembered, however, as a longtime photography instructor at Southwestern College, where he taught from 1961 until his retirement in 2000. His wife, Sharon, worked in human resources and payroll at Southwestern for more than two decades.

Ron’s passion for photography was evident not only in his teaching, but also in his own photographs. He took photos for many years of California, Mexico, Europe, and elsewhere, many of which were shown in galleries.