Col Ejner J. Fulsang, Jr.
COL EJNER J. FULSANG, JR.
MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Ejner J. Fulsang, Jr., was born in Chicago in 1922 as the the eldest child. He and his six sisters and grew up during the hard years of the Great Depression. Colonel Fulsang was first and foremost a soldier. At age fifteen
he enlisted in the National Guard and by age seventeen he had obtained the rank of sergeant, outranking his father who was also a member of the Guard. It was later said, “nothing was ever asked of any soldier under his command that young Sergeant Fulsang would not have asked of his own
father, Private First Class Ejner J. Fulsang, Sr.”
With the outbreak of World War II, he reenlisted in the regular Army. He was commissioned a second lieutenant of field artillery and went on to become an Army aviator, serving as a front line artillery observer pilot in Italy as well as taking part in the invasion of southern France. He went on to finish the war, commanding a troop ship back to the United States. After a brief stay, he commanded a shipload of German POWs back to Germany, where he served as part of the occupation force. During this time he met and married Lieutenant Dorothy Bowman. They raised four children and were married forty-three years until her passing in 1991.
During his military career, Colonel Fulsang served in the Korean and Vietnam wars. He also had numerous peacetime assignments in the United States, Europe, and Paraguay. His final assignment was as the Professor of Military Science at Oregon State University from 1972 to 1975. It was a fitting assignment, as education was always very important to him.
He was a staunch proponent of continuing education throughout one’s life, obtaining both his undergraduate and master’s degrees while serving on active duty. He retired in 1975 after thirty-eight years of military service, three wars, and numerous commendations, including the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, and the Bronze Star. He settled in Corvallis, where he remained active as a general contractor and a municipal court judge for Junction City. He was a dedicated member of the Corvallis Rotary Club and the Military Officers Club of Corvallis and served a term as president of each organization. He was remarried in 1993 to Enid Berne.
Colonel Fulsang was a strong supporter of the Military Science Scholarship Endowment Fund and its goal of providing financial assistance to ROTC cadets. This scholarship is funded through his own generous donations and those of his family following his passing in 1998.