Wylie and Barbara Horn: Sharing a Belief in the Future

The late L. Wylie and Barbara Horn were a hard-working local couple who had no children of their own. So they made the children of Ventura County their own. In their lifetimes, they established two scholarships at the Ventura County Community Foundation.

The Alfonso and Dora Romero Scholarship Fund honors Barbara Romero Horn's parents and goes to a graduating senior at Santa Paula High School.

The Oscar and Aileen Horn Scholarship Fund honors Wylie Horn's parents and is for a graduating senior at Oxnard High School.

A native of Santa Paula, Barbara Romero Horn graduated from Santa Paula High School in 1947. She earned a degree in library science from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and worked as librarian for the Yards/Stock Supply Office in Port Hueneme then the Naval Engineering Lab's Publications Department. She retired as director of the libraries at the Civil Engineering Officers School in 1983.

Barbara served as a director of the Santa Paula High School Alumni Association and was an active member of the Buenaventura Women's Club as well as a docent for the Museum of Ventura County.

Wylie Horn was born in Pasadena in 1920 and graduated from Oxnard High School. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, then transferred to the infantry. After discharge from the military, Wylie began a 30-year Civil Service career, spending most of that time at what is now called Naval Base Ventura County.

They enjoyed traveling the world to attend all major figure skating competitions. According to the Santa Paula Times: "During a trip to Budapest, they saw a world-class ice skating performance and were so impressed that following the circuit - including Olympic competitions - became a passion."

Barbara passed away in July 2001, just a few weeks after the couple celebrated their 50th anniversary. Wylie died on May 17, 2010.

The L. Wylie and Barbara Horn Scholarship Fund supports VCCF's Scholarship Fund for Ventura County -the only fund that provides awards to top students at every high school in

For more information on charitable gift annuities and/or life insurance policies as giving options, please contact VCCF.