Alumnus makes the College a part of his estate plans

When it came time to make estate plans, setting up a way to support the College of Engineering made sense for Van Delk.

Attending Ragsdale High School in Jamestown, NC, Delk enjoyed his classes in mathematics, chemistry and the physical sciences. He decided in junior high school to pursue engineering and settled on chemical engineering when he arrived in Raleigh in 1969 because of its usefulness.

“If you can be a chemical engineer you can do anything for anyone because it’s such a broad field,” he said.

Delk has fond memories of his time on campus living in Bragaw Residence Hall, including playing men’s intramural basketball along with a lot of golf and tennis.

As a student, he worked a couple of summers back home at the Phillips-Foscue Corporation flexible foam plant in High Point, NC. It would be the start of a career in the polyurethane business that would lead him to the Dow Chemical Company.

Dow was looking for someone with experience working with the components to produce the polyurethane foam the company manufactures for furniture and bedding.

Today, Delk works closely with more than 40 Dow customers in the United States and Canada. It’s a job that keeps him on the road a lot visiting clients. He lives in Freeport, Texas, site of a Dow manufacturing facility.

Delk is also a member of the NC State Alumni Association and the Wolfpack Club. A lifelong bachelor, he thought of the College of Engineering when it came time to make estate plans. He saw a way to pay back what was given to him.

“Looking back, I wouldn’t be where I am without my education at NC State,” Delk said.

Return to contents or download the Fall/Winter 2015 NC State Engineering magazine.