Helping young Boilermakers achieve their dreams brings joy to Carl (ECE’69) and Nancy Carden. “We’re proud to play a small part in making that possible,” Nancy says. “It’s very rewarding to us.”
Having attended Purdue on an ROTC scholarship, Carl understands the financial challenges students sometimes face. He recently rolled funds from an individual retirement account (IRA) into a charitable gift annuity, which allows the couple to provide scholarships while lowering Carl’s taxable income.
In addition to studying electrical engineering at Purdue, Carl earned a master’s degree from the Naval Postgraduate School and enjoyed a 20-year career flying airplanes off of aircraft carriers. After retiring from the Navy in 1989, he launched a second career in systems engineering before retiring for good in 2013.
Nancy grew up across the street and two houses down from Carl, who fondly calls her his “girl next door.” A proud educator since 1971, Nancy earned degrees from both Ole Miss and Old Dominion University and still loves being in the classroom.
Ever grateful to Purdue, Carl previously helped his mother, Norma, establish a scholarship in honor of his late stepfather, Russ Mason (ME’43).
“When Mom was 90 and showing early signs of dementia, I began overseeing her finances,” Carl says. “She had set up a charitable remainder trust with Purdue as one of the beneficiaries, so I let her know this was a great opportunity to honor my stepfather, help students, and see firsthand the impact of her gift.”
When Carl enrolled at Purdue in 1964, he hailed from Ohio. Recognizing this, the Purdue for Life Foundation’s Office of Planned Giving suggested he create his mother’s scholarship for out-of-state engineering students—and secured a matching gift based on those criteria.
“Mom agreed to the idea, as long as we met each recipient in person,” Carl says.
Following Norma’s death in 2020, her name was added to the endowment, which has provided scholarships for students from several states, including Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, California, and Arizona. “We’ve been fortunate to follow some of the recipients over their entire four years at Purdue,” Carl says. “We love interacting with them.”
The scholarship’s first honoree left a lasting impression. The oldest of 12 children, he lived with his grandparents, worked at his church, and commuted 45 minutes one way to attend classes. “I was in tears after meeting him,” Nancy says. “Even now, I’m emotional thinking about it—that we could help somebody who truly needed it.”
The Cardens later established a second scholarship—partially funded through the IRA rollover—that is open to both in-state and out-of-state students.
“The first recipient of our scholarship landed an internship with a power and light company in his hometown on Chicago’s South Side,” Carl says. “They even offered him a full-time position before he graduated.”
The second student, a drummer from California who performed in the Purdue “All-American” Marching Band, impressed the couple with his drive to secure summer internships with General Motors in Bedford, Indiana, and General Atomics in San Diego. He even introduced Carl and Nancy to the famous Triple XXX restaurant on campus.
“We’re proud to be just a small part of these students’ education,” Nancy says. “Every time we return to campus, I think we get more out of the meetings than they do.”
Carl agrees. “We’re touched that they keep coming back, wanting to see us and share their goals with us,” he says. “And we thank Purdue for providing each of them with a first-class education.”
“Victories & Heroes: Your Campaign for Purdue” is inspired by the powerful words of Purdue’s fight song, recognizing those who came before. If you have a Purdue hero in your life, we want to hear from you—share your story for an opportunity to be featured.
You can also contribute to the campaign today! Your investment will strengthen Purdue, elevate the university’s reputation, and expand opportunities for current and future Boilermakers.
—Matt Schnepf
