Ronald Curtis Wilson Memorial Scholarship Established at Cerro Coso

Thursday, April 24, 2014

The Cerro Coso Community College Foundation received a generous donation of $5,500 from Mrs. Donna Wilson to create an endowed scholarship in memory of her husband, Ronald Curtis Wilson.

Born in Bakersfield, California, Ron was a patriotic employee at the Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division, China Lake for more than 20 years. His early work included support the QF-4 Targets Program and other conventional weapons programs. He was the Navy’s Program Manager at NAWC-WD for Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), a major joint Air Force and Navy Missile Program. He led a multi-disciplined team of engineers from such diverse specialties as vehicle structures and materials, electromagnetic environment effects, warhead design and testing, thermal battery design and testing, aircraft/weapon integration, and system safety engineering. Ron was highly regarded in the technical community and was often affectionately referred to as "Uncle Ron". He was very successful in gaining the Navy’s Weapon Systems Explosive Safety Board (WSESERB) approval for the Fleet Review, prior to his retirement. He also received the Susan DeMay award by the NATO Insensitive Munitions Center.

Ron enjoyed his employment as a Reserve Police Officer for the Ridgecrest Police Department and was recognized as the Police Reserve of the year. He enjoyed working with the youth and volunteered for the Boys Scouts of America. Ron was also an avid SCUBA diver and member of the Kern County Underwater Search and Rescue Team and was a member of the Desert Divers in Lancaster.

"Ron was one of the most fascinating, intelligent, kind, loving, happy, and gentle souls I have ever known," said wife Donna.

A graduate of the Northrup Institute of Technology, Inglewood, CA, Ron also attended MIT and was involved in many areas of aviation. Ron passed away at the age of 61 in Lamar, MO, on December 20, 2012.

The Ronald Curtis Wilson Memorial Scholarship is open to all full-time graduating students at Cerro Coso’s Ridgecrest campus with a GPA of 3.5 or higher who are majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) and who have been accepted to a four year university.

The CCCC Foundation is committed to helping students succeed in college through its scholarship program. "The Ronald Curtis Wilson Memorial Scholarship has been established to recognize and remember the life and legacy of a great man," said Tony Damiano, CCCC Foundation Scholarship Chairman.

For more information on CCCC Foundation Scholarships contact the College Financial Aid Department.