Walt Gleckler Memorial Scholarship

Walt Gleckler was a music teacher at Orange Coast College from 1961 until his retirement from full-time teaching in 1986. During that time he led the OCC Chorale and Madrigal Singers, taught voice classes, and served as the Vocal Director for many summer musicals.

During the 1974-75 academic year, Walt took sabbatical leave to record the singing of native peoples in French Polynesia. An avid sailor his entire life, he returned to OCC and soon thereafter initiated the Marine Activities program. These classes included celestial navigation, marine weather, amateur radio, and medicine at sea. In 1975, Walt started the Sailing Adventure Series which featured lectures, slides and movies by famous sailors. He continued to coordinate and present the Sailing Adventure Series at OCC until 2000, the 25th anniversary of the series.

This scholarship has been established in Walt’s memory to assist dedicated vocal music students in pursuing training in performance, conducting, teaching, and the sharing of Walt’s first love, the beauty of the human voice.