ADVANCING ALUMNI CONNECTIONS NORTHWEST
LASTING L E G A C IE S
After a 35-year career that took him from journalism and broadcasting to marketing and communication, Steve Carpenter ’76 is grateful for the preparation Northwest provided him, and he is helping to ensure future students have the same opportunities. Recently, Carpenter provided a $45,000 gift to the Northwest Foundation through a retirement annuity to benefit the School of Communication and Mass Media. “I had so many wonderful professors,” Carpenter said. “It’s a very supportive atmosphere at Northwest that opened all these doors for me.” Carpenter took advantage of opportunities at Northwest to work on both the student-run KDLX and the National Public Radio affiliate, KXCV. Armed with those résumé-building experiences, as well as some weekend work at KMA in Shenandoah, Iowa, he launched his full-time professional radio career in 1977 at KKJO in St. Joseph, Missouri. Later he moved on to WMT radio in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and then to Kirkwood Community College, where he was station manager of KCCK until ending his radio career in 1997. A public relations role opened at the college, and Carpenter accepted it, remaining there until his 2012 retirement. “Whatever steps up the ladder I’ve been able to make in my life, I could not have done it without education. I could not have done it without the great team of mentors that I had,” Carpenter said, crediting mentors that included Rollie Stadlman ’70, Sharon Cross Bonnett ’65, Cathran Cushman and Warren Stucki. “When you go to National Public Radio conferences and they say, ‘You were on the air as a sophomore?’ I’d say, ‘Yeah, and I sounded like a sophomore,’” Carpenter added. “It just warms my heart to get back and visit family in north Missouri, and I turn on 90.5. I kind of home in on the signal like a beacon, and I hear these young people who are learning, who are getting better every day, who are working their way through the broadcast stuff and the AP Stylebook, and you can just hear that learning happening. I think the best supporters of the station understand that and say, ‘This kid is going places and who knows where we’ll hear this voice in 10 years.’”
“I feel honored and blessed to have been helped and guided and aided by so many good people at Northwest. I would be a truly ungrateful person if I didn’t do something in return. It just excites me to think of some future young people that got excited by the idea of communicating and telling stories and sharing news. They don’t even know why they want to do that, but if my forethought can help future generations, that’s great.” Steve Carpenter ’76
Donating part or all of your unused retirement assets such as a gift from your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), pension or other tax-deferred plan is an excellent way to make a gift to our organization.
CONSIDER THESE ADVANTAGES: n
It’s simple to set up You’re able to maintain control of your assets n It provides a gift to Northwest in an amount you believe is appropriate, and you can still provide for your loved ones n It provides an estate tax deduction n
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It provides for a cause you deem worthy at Northwest n It includes membership in the Northwest Foundation’s James H. Lemon Heritage Society n Leaves a lasting legacy at Northwest
Contact the Office of University Advancement at 660.562.1248 or advance@nwmissouri.edu to find out about the many advantages of providing an estate provision.
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NORTHWEST ALUMNI MAGAZINE I SPRING 2019