Late Carpenter Who Lived Frugal Life Helped 33 People Attend College Debt-Free

Nov 08, 2022 by apost team

Once in a while, a story of immense generosity and kindness makes a major difference in our lives when we read it. In a world where money is the be-all and end-all for most of the population, it is not easy to come across stories about people giving their fortunes away to better others' lives. 

Naturally, there is charity and philanthropy that makes a difference, but the lives of the rich and of celebrities are well known. On one level, it is almost a rite of passage that the famous and wealthy people give money away; either because they believe in a cause or because they can receive tax benefits, among other reasons. 

Very rarely do we hear about people who lived a simple life with very little spending and who end up donating a large amount of wealth, but Dale Schroeder is this rare person who has left a beautiful mark on this world. 

According to news outlets, Schroeder lived a frugal life. When he died in 2005 at the age of 86, his only possessions were two pairs of jeans and a rugged old truck. Working at the same company for 67 years, Schroeder never married or had children, leaving this world unmourned by a loving wife or grateful children. But Schroeder left a gift behind that changed the lives of dozens of people forever.

“He was that kind of a blue-collar, lunch pail kind of a guy,” Steve Nielsen, a friend, told KCCI. “(He) went to work every day, worked really hard, was frugal like a lot of Iowans.”

Thanks to his amazing budgeting, Schroeder had amassed an impressive fortune of $3 million. Rather than spending it on himself, Schroeder made it his mission to use the money he earned to improve the lives of others.

Coming from a poor family, Schroeder never got to go to college. As such, upon his death, Schroeder willed that all of his $3 million fortune be used to help kids in small towns in Iowa go to college. Nielsen, his friend, described Schroeder to KCCI News as a simple man whose gift was intended to help kids like him who couldn’t seek higher education without outside help.

In total, Schroeder helped 33 people go to college and achieve their dreams. Kira Conrad was one person helped by Schroeder’s amazing act of generosity. Speaking to CNN, Conrad said that she always wanted to be a therapist, but that the prospects of achieving her dream were limited as she comes from a single-parent family and had three other siblings.

According to KWWL, Conrad had the grades to become a therapist, but she, unfortunately, did not have the money to pay for tuition. “I grew up in a single-parent household, and I had three older sisters, so paying for all four of us was never an option,” Conrad explained.

The situation was difficult for her to come to terms with. “Almost made me feel powerless, like, ‘I want to do this, I have this goal,’ but I can’t get there just because of the financial part,” Conrad said.

Conrad was at her graduation party, ready to deliver the sad news when her phone rang. Schroeder was on the other end of the line.

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When Conrad found out that Schroeder’s gift had paid for her $80,000 tuition, she became emotional. "I broke down into tears immediately," she said to CNN.

“For a man that would never meet me, to give me basically a full-ride to college, that’s incredible. That doesn’t happen,” she told KWWL.

Back when Schroeder was alive, his friend Nielsen had asked how much money he was planning on giving away since he had been so frugal throughout his life. Nielsen was shocked when Schroeder told him the amount — “just shy of $3 million.”

“He wanted to help kids that were like him that probably wouldn’t have an opportunity to go to college but for his gift,” Nielsen said.

To commemorate the 14th anniversary of Schroeder’s death and to show how much they appreciated his generosity, the 33 people that Schroeder helped go to college held a special dinner in his honor in 2019. According to CNN, many recipients of Schroeder’s generosity are now doctors, teachers and therapists. 

Having never fathered any children of his own, Schroeder would be proud to know that all the people that he helped now call themselves “Dale’s kids.” While the graduates that Schroeder helped can never repay him for paying for the cost of their education, they vow to follow Schroeder’s example in making the world a better place and paying it forward.

“All we ask is that you pay it forward,” Nielsen said. “You can’t pay it back, because Dale’s gone. But you can remember him and you can emulate him.”

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