Lori Lorenz Family Scholarship Fund
Our hearts are breaking for our friend and colleague David Salmanson, who lost his wife Lori Lorenz, his “one true love,” to a fatal embolism last week.
Lori and Dave met while he was in graduate school at the University of Michigan and they were both in New Mexico teaching for the Cottonwood Gulch Foundation.
Lori, Dave and their family loved New Mexico. They especially prized their time at “the Gulch,” one of the oldest outdoor education programs in the country, which got its start in Lori’s hometown of Indianapolis in 1926.
Lori and I met in New Mexico teaching for the Cottonwood Gulch Foundation. Our family’s love for New Mexico, and the Gulch in particular knows no bounds. It’s the banner picture on her FB page. “The Gulch” as it is known, is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, outdoor education program in the country, dating back to 1926, when it started in Lori’s hometown of Indianapolis. Cottonwood Gulch is in the midst of a major capital campaign so that more students of all financial backgrounds can experience their place-based educational programs. —David
The Gulch’s Turquoise Trail expedition program, like many opportunities in the US West, uniquely appealed to young women who left Indianapolis to do “everything the boys did, only better.” Lori taught on this expedition, among others.
In Lori’s memory, we seek donations for the Lori Lorenz Family Scholarship Fund at Cottonwood Gulch. This fund will subsidize young women who trek the Turquoise Trail today and–we hope–for years to come.
The Gulch is in the midst of a major capital campaign, so that more students of all financial backgrounds can experience their place-based educational programs. As a result, gifts by first-time donors will be matched 1:1, so–if this is the first time you’re giving to the Gulch–your money will go twice as far in making Lori’s imprint on this earth indelible, and in supporting a cause dear to everyone who loved her and is left to walk on without her.
11/29 update: the response to this camapign has been so outstanding that we’re increasing the campaign goal to an amount that would cover the full cost of the trek for two young women on the Turquoise Trail.
Please give as you are able: Lori Lorenz Family Scholarship Fund