Professor Emeritus Charles Edward Marberry’s big-picture thinking left a mark on students who studied business during his tenure from 1959-1988. He was an innovative educator, often teaching from The Wall Street Journal instead of a textbook. His students were sure to be challenged and were meant to abide by his rules—no tardiness, sleeping, or chewing gum in class. His son, Doug even remembers hearing about a student in the 1970s waking up in a cloud of chalk dust and laughter after getting beaned with a chalkboard eraser.

“Charlie was a memorable character,” said Dean Emeritus Gary Fethke. “For many people, he was an inspiring teacher and a most-interesting person. Over the years, I have encountered many successful graduates who hold Charlie in the highest esteem.  
He added some spice and excitement to the college.”

In his retirement, he lived with his wife Dorothy on a farm in Solon, Iowa. He planted a vegetable garden and managed 80 acres of farmland, playing the stock market with his earnings right up until the end of his life in April 2019 at the age of 96.

With the addition of the Charles E. Marberry Asset Allocation Fund, his legacy will now live on with a new generation of students. His daughter Connie told Exchange that “a former student starting the fund would mean the world to him.” Her brother, Doug, agrees. He said his father “would be quite humbled” by the naming of the fund.

“My dad was a brilliant, generous man with a wicked sense of humor,” Connie remembered, laughing. “He could be stubborn, there’s no doubt about that, but he loved teaching, his family, and being in Iowa.”