Established on 12.26.1987 by Carl '65 and Carol '83 Wall †
Carl Wall’s dream as an undergraduate at Concordia was to become a Big Ten basketball coach. Despite not being an overly gifted athlete himself, Carl attended nearly every basketball practice just to watch. When Coach Sonny Gulsvig traveled with the football team to Augusta, Georgia, for the national championship game in 1964, he asked Carl to run the basketball practices in his absence. Carl says Irv Christianson was a mentor to him in his coaching, and encouraged him to attend graduate school.
Carl took Irv’s advice and moved to Philadelphia with his wife, Carol, to earn his master’s degree at Temple University. The couple soon moved back to North Dakota and started a family. Carl and Carol have been blessed with three daughters – Stephanie ’90, Kathryn ’93 and Kristina – and nine grandchildren.
Carol taught piano lessons and worked part-time in Concordia’s Alumni Office, while Carl taught high school math and began to climb the coaching ranks in tennis and basketball. In 1972, Carl was named North Dakota Tennis Coach of the Year. His path included stints at New England, Red River, Wahpeton, and finally Fargo North High School where his basketball team won the state championship in 1977, and he was named North Dakota Basketball Coach of the Year.
After 13 years of teaching and coaching, Carl spent 34 years with Merrill Lynch, where he built a highly successful clientele by earning their respect and trust. He retired in 2012 as a Vice President for the Private Client Group. Carl has served on Concordia’s National Alumni Board, several campaign committees, and multiple terms on the Board of Regents.
Carol has also served on numerous boards including serving as a national co-chair of the C400 Club with Carl. In addition to being a key organizer of Concordia Women Connect, Carol has also directed the Hope Lutheran Choir, sung with the Master Chorale, and now sings in the Hubbard Methodist Church Choir.
Inspired by their passion for helping others, in 2008, Carl ventured on a World Vision trip to Africa that led him and Carol to embark on their third career – supporting Wellspring, an organization whose mission is to provide safe drinking water for the people of the world. Since Carl became its chief fundraiser in our region and accepted a position on the board, Wellspring has grown from 64 completed wells in 2012 to more than 500 completed wells today. He has said, “Our generation has the capacity and capability to eliminate extreme poverty in our lifetime. I want to be a part of that.”
The Walls believe that their experiences at Concordia College provided them a solid foundation, offering the opportunities and challenges necessary for personal growth and success in their lives. They firmly believe that we are called to follow in Christ’s example by living our faith and taking care of one another. In response to God’s calling, Carl and Carol have established the Carl and Carol Wall Endowed Scholarship.
The Carl and Carol Wall Endowed Scholarship is awarded by the Office of Financial Aid with preference given to students from underrepresented populations. Selection is based on financial need and scholastic promise.