The Larry Czer English Scholarship was established in 2023 by his wife, Ramona Czer.
Larry (1957-2023) dedicated his life to the service of his Lord. He earned a BS in education from Dr. Martin Luther College and an MA in English from St. Cloud State, and he finished the coursework (all but dissertation) for a PhD in rhetoric and composition at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
In Larry’s ministry, he served as principal and grade 1-8 teacher at Christ Our Redeemer LS-Bend OR (1979-1981), principal and grade 6-8 teacher at St. John LS-Fox Lake WI (1981-1987), English, pre-algebra teacher, and coach at West LHS-Hopkins MN (1987-1992), and English professor and coach at (Dr.) Martin Luther College (1992-2023).
Larry’s contributions during his 31-year tenure at (D)MLC were broad and lasting. Early on, he chaired the committee that developed the Junior Writing Assessment, led faculty workshops on technology in the classroom, helped develop the college’s early website, edited the college catalog, and served on the Scheduling Committee. In the last 15 years, he helped reinvigorate the Writing Center and the Communicating Across the Curriculum Committee, and he chaired the 2014 Quality Initiative Task Force for the Higher Learning Commission, which led to recruiting and retaining more students from underrepresented groups.
His wife, Ramona, shares that Larry loved teaching English. “Hundreds and hundreds of language arts teachers in WELS grade schools and high schools across America today are effective Christian communicators and educators due to the day-to-day efforts of Larry Czer,” she says. “His students were never just vessels to fill up with knowledge, but precious blood-bought souls God had entrusted to him, each with a story of his or her own. He daily imprinted his student-readers with a vision, a sense of wonder in the power of words, and many in turn took his vision and made it their own in their classrooms. Through their children’s children, that story lives on today.”
Larry also made an impact in MLC athletics, where he served as women’s golf coach for eight years and women’s basketball coach for seven years. His 2011-12 basketball team had the most successful season in MLC program history, finishing 12-2 in the UMAC and earning an NCAA tournament berth.
Possibly due to his many years of coaching women—and having four daughters—Larry developed a keen sensitivity to women’s perspectives and a gift for encouraging them. He often spoke about sponsoring a scholarship that would encourage young women in their studies.
It is Ramona’s prayer that Larry’s love of his Savior and of his students—and his firm belief in the power of language to move hearts and minds for the good of God’s kingdom—will live on after him through this scholarship.
The annual scholarship recipient will be the female English major, junior or senior, who has earned the highest GPA in her English coursework. Should there be a tie, the student with the greater financial need will receive the scholarship.
