The Lanny Holm Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a high school senior from the Oakland or Bay area in California who is planning to pursue a college degree leading to certification or licensure in teaching. The recipient is selected by PDK International through its prospective educator scholarship program.

Lanny Holm was born in Graceville and raised in Wheaton, Minnesota, before heading west to California and settling in Oakland in 1965. He became a biology teacher at Castlemont High, beginning a 32-year career with the Oakland Unified School District that would touch the lives of generations of Oakland students. They have been moved, as have his family, friends, and colleagues, by his wisdom, compassion, and social commitment. Adults and students alike could hear what Lanny had to say because he spoke in gentle loving tones and always with a sense of humor and a twinkle in his eye.

The same qualities that made him an outstanding counselor and mentor fueled his activism within the teacher's union, which he represented on the Alameda Central Labor Council for 19 years. His commitment to public education also led him to join Phi Delta Kappa, for which he later served as a chapter president.

Beyond this, Lanny was a consummate bridge player, philatelist, and unraveler of crossword puzzles and mysteries with a gift of gab, golfing, and gardening. The Dixieland riffs on his answering machine and his stint as a college deejay reflect a lifelong passion for music, as does his impressive collection of reel-to-reel tapes from opera to jazz. He puttered and built and fixed things, cooked up epicurean delights, walked and ran fund-raising races for Bay Area charities, and dreamed of being a stand-up comedian.

Lanny was the beloved husband of Glenna Yee and the cherished son of the late Sybil and Paul Holm. He is dearly missed by all those whose lives he graced.