Allan and Yjordis Frostrom

Originally from the Midwest, Allan ’62 and Yjordis Frostrom met in Arizona and arrived in San Diego as newlyweds in 1960. Allan’s mother, Elsie Thompson, who had moved to San Diego 13 years earlier, suggested that Allan enroll at a small, unaccredited law school then located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Date Street. Allan remembers the vibrations and clamor of heavy excavation machines rattling the building and fraying everyone’s nerves as the roadbed was lowered for the I-5 adjacent to the building.

When one half of a couple enrolls in law school, the other half is often equally committed to the endeavor and works just as hard—if not harder—to see their loved one graduate and pass the bar. This was certainly true of Yjordis and Allan. Yjordis worked full time at US National Bank to cover the bills, and together they managed 14 residential units where they lived in Banker’s Hill in lieu of paying rent. However, Yjordis had the added task of intercepting a steady stream of elderly, talkative residents while Allan studied.

After graduating, Allan joined Travelodge, where he worked for more than 20 years and rose to the position of Secretary and Corporate Counsel while he and Yjordis raised their two sons, Stephen and Eric. Allan also was active at the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau (now San Diego Tourism Authority), serving as a member of the board of directors, and becoming President.

After his years in tourism he was involved in administering and becoming the final Trustee in the bankruptcy that resulted from the infamous J. David Dominelli Ponzi scheme. Following that, Allan, Yjordis, and Allan’s mother Elsie formed Mission Gorge Realty in 1995, managing property of all kinds from Oceanside to Eastlake, and representing owners in leasing industrial and commercial properties, primarily in the Mission Gorge area.

California Western and the Frostrom family have been intertwined for more than half a century. Allan’s mother Elsie was acquainted with some of the Trustees of California Western University in the earliest days and became friends with legendary Dean Robert Castetter and his wife, Marge. Allan and Yjordis’ daughter-in-law, Karen Frostrom, is a proud 1999 alumna.Strong in their faith and Midwestern values, Allan and Yjordis believe in the power of education and the importance of giving back. It is in this spirit that they established a charitable fund, most of which is dedicated to endowing the Frostrom Family Scholarship Fund at California Western.

Mindful of the opportunities that California Western made possible for Allan and his family, he says this is their way to “offer a helping hand” to students who might not otherwise be able to afford law school. Yjordis adds: “It’s the right thing to do.”

Allan and Yjordis hope that by making this legacy gift known while they are living, fellow alumni will be inspired to make California Western an important part of their estate plan.

This Lecture Hall is named in recognition of these farsighted individuals whose outstanding generosity will benefit worthy, hardworking students for generations to come.