Oliver Wood '97

For Oliver Wood ‘97, his Colorado College experience has extended beyond his lifetime. Nearly 15 years ago, while he and his buddies were sitting on the roof of their off-campus digs soaking up some winter sun, none would’ve dreamed what their lives would bring.

Rather than living a long life, and becoming one of Colorado College’s donors himself, Oliver lost his life to cancer in 2008. However, his dear friends from the Class of ‘97, Dan Haas and Rick Jacobs, turned this tragedy into a blessing for another CC student, Elyse Miller ‘13 — the inaugural recipient of the Oliver Ellsworth Wood, III, Class of ‘97, Endowed Scholarship. Elyse will now become the first member of the Oliver Wood Scholarship Family. Others will follow.

The Walton Family Foundation matching grant has been central in bringing Oliver’s scholarship fund to fruition. With the foundation’s matches in the past year, the fund has passed the $300,000 mark. And it was accomplished within three and a half years of Oliver’s death.

This tremendous achievement on Oliver’s behalf is a testament to all those generous Colorado College alumni, as well as CC faculty, and friends outside the college, who have given generously to Oliver’s scholarship time and time again, many on a monthly basis. These gifts honor his memory, the spirit of giving, the spirit of generosity, and most of all, they honor the future. In a very personal way, this abundance of generosity has been of great comfort to sister, Catharine Wood ‘95, his parents, Chips and Crete Wood ‘69, his wife, Sara, and son, Wilson.

Through his scholarship, Oliver’s CC life will continue. He would never have imagined at his graduation nearly 15 years ago that through the generosity of his friends and the Walton Family Foundation, others would have an opportunity to love CC as he did. Welcome to the family, Elyse!

— Crete Crawford Wood ‘69 (Oliver’s mom)