Established on 05.14.2014 by Dale and Marilyn Larson
Joe and Gail Larson’s (1979 graduates) joint story began in a Concordia German class, where Gail, an international relations major, and Joe, an economics major, met. The entrepreneurial spirit was strong and vibrant with both Joe and Gail. Joe, Gail and Roger Turner founded Great Plains Computers, a company that later became Great Plains Software in Fargo, ND. Eventually, Microsoft purchased the company, and it continued as a leading employer in the Red River Valley. Along with their three children, Elizabeth, Amy, and Eric, they moved to California, where he founded Interactive Technologies Corporation and Assist Business Services, a company that was the predecessor to Cardiff Software. On April 3, 1999, Joe, Gail, and two of their children, Amy and Eric, were killed in a private plane accident in California. Their vibrant entrepreneurial vision, dynamic partnership, and quest for innovation have had a profound effect on many people.
The Gail D. Larson and Joseph C. Larson Endowed Scholarship is awarded by the Office of Financial Aid to students in the Offutt School of Business who demonstrate entrepreneurial spirit and aspiration. Selection is based heavily on scholastic achievement and also on financial need.