Wayne Carpenter (1991) - Hall of Fame

Wayne Carpenter

Induction:
1991
Class:
1970

One of the most decorated scholar-athletes in the history of the University of Northern Iowa is Wayne Carpenter.

Carpenter made headlines as an athlete. As a sophomore, he finished fourth at the North Central Conference indoor meet in both the 880-yard run and the mile run. During the outdoor season, he set a new school mark in the mile with a time of 4:14.12.

It was during his junior year that Carpenter became a star. During the indoor season, he set school records in the 1000 yard run (2:17.7) and the mile (4:18.5). He picked up his first conference title later that year by winning the outdoor meet's mile run in a time of 4:16.0. His victory helped the Panthers to the meet championship.

But his top performance of the year was yet to come. At the NCAA College Division Track and Field Championships in Ashland, Ohio, Carpenter set a school-record time of 4:08.6, which was good enough for third place and All-America honors.

As a senior, Carpenter continued his dominance in the mile run, setting five meet records. He took his first North Central Conference indoor meet crown, with a conference-record time of 4:16.8 in the mile.

During the outdoor season, Carpenter took his second straight NCAA Midwest regional title with a time of 4:14.5. For his season efforst, he was named the North Central Conference's Most Valuable in track and NCAA All-America.

As impressive as Carpenter's athletic achievements are, his academic achievements stand out strong in comparison. He graduated Magna Cum Laude and with high honors from UNI in 1970 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. He was awarded a postgraduate scholarship by the NCAA for outstanding achievement as a scholar and an athlete and earned the Purple Key Award for outstanding academic and extracurricular activities. He earned his master's degree from UNI in 1971, graduating in the top 10 percent of his class with a 3.85 grade point average.

As a businessman, it took Carpenter only 17 years to rise to the top of his field. He began his career with the Seattle-based Burroughs Corporation as a systems analys and project manager. In 1977, he moved on to the Harris Corporation, where he served as its Senior Field Analyst. In 1978 he became assocatied with the Tandem Corporation where he served in various capacities until 1984. At that time, he became Vice President of Engineering and Manager of Hardware and Software Development for the Caddex Corporation in Woodinville, Wash. In 1989, he began working with the Saros Corporation in Kirkland, Wash., working in several capacities, including vice president, secretary, treasurer, and eventually president and C.E.O.