Remembering Peru State

C. Carlos Harrison

C. Carlos Harrison

"I'd never really thought about including Peru State in my will. Not until the topic came up at the National Alumni Association Board meeting last Homecoming."

C. Carlos Harrison, Shenandoah, Iowa, a 1951 PSC graduate and true-blue Bobcat, recently shared his plans for the creation of the Harrison Alumni Fund as part of his estate plans. Carlos hopes his bequest will help fund an alumni house or alumni programming by the PSC Foundation.

"I've visited a number of other campuses," Carlos explained, "and many have facilities and programs designed for alumni. I'd love to see that kind of opportunity at Peru State."

Carlos's fond memories of Peru State College began his first day on campus in 1949. Carlos majored in education and spent many hours in the music department with Dr. Edith Greer and Mr.
Darryl Manring.

"They were great mentors," Carlos shared, "They were the type of professors who students were comfortable approaching with a problem and would do their best to give solid advice."

Carlos's favorite memory from his collegiate days was a band trip to Chadron for a football game. The Chadron students painted the bus red and the next morning the students had to buy gasoline to scrub the paint off!

After graduating from Peru, Carlos received his Masters in Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In the mid-1950s ... after a hitch in the United States Army ... Carlos was back in Shenandoah as District Scout Executive with the Boy Scouts of America.

While there, he was offered a position with Air Products and Chemicals Inc. Carlos accepted the position and was quickly moved to California where he spent the next 39 years in the airline industry.

Carlos maintained his close ties with Peru State through the Northern California Alumni Club. On two different occasions he served as President of the "NorCal" group.

He retired in 2000 from United Airlines and returned to Shenandoah to be near family and friends.

Carlos's gift to Peru State is in the form of a bequest ... a simple addition to his will. The Harrison Alumni Fund details were worked out through a separate agreement with the Peru
State College Foundation.

According to Carlos, the whole process was very easy. "I met with my attorney and had the appropriate language added to my will. Then Todd and I worked out the plan for the Alumni Fund over a couple of emails and telephone calls." (R. Todd Simpson, CFRE, is the Executive Director of the Peru State College Foundation.)

Carlos's gift plan is a great way to remember Peru State ... and strengthen the College for the future! Thank you Carlos!