F e at u r e
Honoring a Hero The Kristensen Klassic golf tournament pays tribute to an alumnus who was an American hero—and fuels a scholarship fund that ensures deserving young men are able to follow in his footsteps on Eye Street.
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efore Erik Kristensen ’90 deployed to Afghanistan in 2005, he interviewed for and was awarded the prestigious Olmstead Foundation Scholarship. Awarded to active duty officers in the United States military, the scholarship gives service members the chance to study overseas. After his 2005 deployment, Erik planned to study at The Paris Institute of Political Studies in France. However, as many in the Gonzaga community know well, Erik, a Navy SEAL, was killed in action on June 28, 2005 during Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan. Erik had volunteered to lead a mission to help four fellow SEALs who had come under heavy fire. The
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Gonzaga l SUMMER 2018
helicopter that he, seven other Navy SEALs, and eight Army Special Forces members were in was shot down. Erik was buried with full honors at the Naval Academy and today rests among our nation’s heroes as one of them. After Erik’s tragic death, his Gonzaga classmates and friends were searching for a way to honor his legacy and keep his memory alive on Eye Street. When they heard about something he said during his interviews for the Olmstead Scholarship, they knew they had their answer. “In the interview they asked him, ‘What would you do if you won the lottery?’ ” says Andrew Battaile ‘90, a former classmate
and close friend of Erik who is now Gonzaga’s Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid. “He said he would do two things: Pay off his parents’ mortgage and start a scholarship gonzaga.org
