Dale Schroeder
Dale Schroeder | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dale Dustin Schroeder April 8, 1919 Clarion, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | April 12, 2005 (aged 86) Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Occupations | Carpenter, philanthropist |
Dale Dustin Schroeder (April 8, 1919 – April 12, 2005) was an American carpenter and philanthropist.
Schroeder was born in Clarion, Iowa. He spent 67 years working for the same company and lived an extremely frugal life, owning only two pairs of blue jeans: one for work and one for attending church on Sundays.[1] He had amassed $3 million in life savings by the time of his death at the age of 86, which he arranged to be used for the college education of 33 students from Iowa because he grown up poor and wanted to help people like himself to attend college.[2][3] His generosity allowed 33 beneficiaries to attend universities such as Iowa State University, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa,[4] many of whom became physicians and teachers, to graduate from college without debt. The final beneficiary received the remaining $80,000 and graduated as a therapist in 2019.[3] The 33 beneficiaries have since formed a group they refer to as "Dale's Kids".[3]
Schroeder died on April 12, 2005 at the Iowa Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa, at the age of 86.[5]
References
- ^ Gant, Michelle (July 25, 2019). "Blue collar Iowa carpenter used his secret fortune to send 33 strangers to college". Upworthy. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
- ^ Hanson, Eric (July 18, 2019). "Iowan's wish puts 33 strangers through college". KCCI. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- ^ a b c Prior, Ryan (July 19, 2019). "A carpenter saved his whole life to fund college scholarships and helped 33 strangers go to school for free". CNN. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- ^ Roche, Calum (January 16, 2026). "The story behind the Iowa carpenter who used his life savings to put 33 strangers through college for free". Diario AS. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
- ^ "Dale D. Schroeder". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. April 15, 2005. p. 25. Retrieved March 28, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.