Time, Talent, & Treasure
Carl Draper ’60
Nothing speaks more highly of a university than alumni, friends and patrons who enthusiastically
serve and support it. McKendree University and its Alumni Association offer a variety
of ways to reconnect, serve and give back. One dedicated McKendrean, Carl Draper ’60, made an eternal commitment to McKendree that will impact the lives of students for
generations to come. Born in 1937, Carl graduated from East Alton-Wood River High
School and furthered his studies at McKendree where he earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics.
He went on to a successful career in St. Louis at the National Imagery and Mapping
Agency (NIMA), now known as the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, where he
was a geodesist. After his graduation, McKendree remained Carl’s home away from home.
He joined the Alumni Board and then went on to serve on the McKendree University Board
of Trustees for 22 years.
Carl was an active member of the McKendree community as a volunteer at senior celebration
events, chapel services and as a member of the Sports Hall of Fame Committee. He received
the Loyal Service Award in 1992 and the prestigious Peter Akers Award in 2003 for
exemplary service and support.
One of Carl’s favorite activities to do on campus was cheer on the Bearcat student-athletes,
especially the men’s basketball team. Carl was a Bearcat Basketball season ticket
holder and a proud member of the McKendree Bearcat Booster Club. When Carl passed away unexpectedly in January 2020, the seat he had filled for many
years in Statham Gym was covered in black as a memorial to this dedicated McKendrean.
While Carl had informed the Office of Development, Alumni and Parent Relations that
McKendree was included in his estate, it wasn’t until after his passing that the University
learned the details of his planned gift. The generous bequest was left undesignated
because Carl wanted the University Board of Trustees to determine the best use of
these funds.
In May 2021, the McKendree University Board of Trustees established the Carl Draper
Athletic Endowment Fund to support the McKendree University Department of Athletics
in perpetuity and the Carl E. Draper Scholarship Fund to support students pursuing
a bachelor’s degree in mathematics or science. Structuring the gifts as part of the
University’s permanent endowment will generate annual earnings that will continue
Carl’s legacy of consistent, generous support at McKendree University.
As a final tribute to Carl, the Board of Trustees named the Hall of Fame Room located
in the Melvin Price Convocation Center the “Carl Draper ‘60 Hall of Fame Room” in
honor of Carl’s many years of service to McKendree University and in recognition of
his generous estate gift. Now, the quiet, unassuming alumnus will be known by all
who visit the home of Bearcat Basketball.
