Ken Evenstad, co-founder of Domaine Serene Winery and namesake for the Grace and Ken Evenstad Center for Wine Education at Linfield University, passed away peacefully this week.
The Evenstad Center for Wine Education opened in 2018, following an initial $6 million gift from Grace and Ken Evenstad. The center offers a unique interdisciplinary wine studies major and minor for undergraduate students and includes a number of wine-education programs and activities for adult learners.
“The Oregon wine industry lost a luminary with the passing of Ken Evenstad,” said Linfield University President Miles K. Davis. “It is clear from his philanthropy that Ken wanted to leave his mark on the world, to help others and to leave the world better for his having been in it. That is exactly what he has done.”
The Evenstads have made substantial additional gifts to Linfield since the opening of the center, including $500,000 to support scholarships for underrepresented populations in the wine industry.
“Ken and Grace came to Oregon with a vision for producing exceptional pinot noir and chardonnay. They also brought a vision to Linfield, supporting wine-education opportunities,” said Greg Jones, the inaugural Evenstad Chair in Wine Studies at Linfield. “The industry and Linfield have lost a champion, but Ken’s vision will carry on through Domaine Serene and the students who are afforded an opportunity to learn about and become members of the wine industry.”
Linfield is an independent, nonprofit university with campuses in McMinnville and Portland, Oregon. Since 1858, Linfield has connected a traditional liberal arts experience with practical education through 56 majors, including wine studies, sport management and nursing. Linfield has been recognized four years running for having the Best Ethnic Diversity in the Pacific Northwest by U.S. News and World Report. Thirty-two percent of Linfield students are first-generation college students, and more than one-third are U.S. students of color. Linfield competes in the NCAA Division III Northwest Conference. Learn more at www.linfield.edu.
