College of Humanities

The Eric J. Lawrence Pop Culture Studies Memorial Scholarship

Beloved former MA student and TA, Eric J. Lawrence, passed away last month. A scholarship celebrating his life and his brilliant work in our department and as a music librarian and DJ at KCRW has been established to help support future English MA students who wish to study the area of pop culture broadly defined. If you are able, please consider supporting this fund.

Background: Eric J. Lawrence was a respected and admired member of the English Department at CSUN, where his expertise as a teacher, a graduate student, and as a scholar of American Literature, noir, and pop culture studies complemented his encyclopedic knowledge of music. As a beloved on-air personality for UCLA Radio and as host of long-running show Dragnet on KCRW, he shared his outstanding musical knowledge and taste with the greater Los Angeles community for decades, and he also served KCRW as one of its most knowledgeable music librarians. In person and over the air waves, Eric had the unique capability to create a shared community of love for and about music and media, and he brought countless indie acts to the attention of wide audiences. He was a teacher and scholar both in the classroom and in our culture, and the care that he gave to his audiences and his in-class students provides an ongoing legacy for this work.

To contribute to the Eric J. Lawrence Pop Culture Studies Memorial Scholarship, please click here, then follow these instructions:

Select “English Department” if it’s not already selected.
In the Additional Information section, in the last field “Other special instructions”, please type Eric J. Lawrence Pop Culture Studies Memorial Scholarship.
In the next section, “Tribute Information”, choose “This gift is in honor or memory of someone.”
Choose “In memory of” in the Type drop down
for First name please print Eric and
for last name please print Lawrence.
You don’t need to choose the “mail a letter on my behalf to…”
When you are done, click continue and move forward to the payment page.

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