Barbara Palmer’s Legacy of Learning

Barbara Palmer believes in investing in the human capital that is needed for our society’s social and economic growth and stability. “Education is the answer to many of our worldwide problems,” Barbara says, and she’s certainly doing her part to advance the teaching, research and facilities to make it happen.

She and her husband James (now deceased), both graduated from Iowa State. She is a 1946 family and consumer sciences graduate, and he was a 1944 graduate in electrical engineering. In 1955, the couple settled in State College, Pa., where James took a position with a small research and development company.

James later joined C-COR Electronics, Inc., a company that develops worldwide communication networks. He was president and CEO of the company for 31 years; Barbara was a director of C-COR for more than 23 years.

Over the years, the Palmers have supported a myriad of Iowa State projects and programs, especially in the College of Engineering and College of Human Sciences.

“Barbara was the first major donor to build a bridge between our two former colleges,” says Dean Cheryl Achterberg of the College of Human Sciences, speaking on the merger of the Colleges of Education and Family and Consumer Sciences. “More broadly, she has helped the entire university community understand the role of women in philanthropy. We are truly grateful for her support and leadership.”

In 1996, Barbara and James contributed the $1 million lead gift toward the construction of a new building for ISU’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences now known as the Palmer Human Development and Family Studies Building.

A love of art and preservation of the past inspired the Palmers to support the renovation of Morrill Hall with a sizable gift to benefit the Christian Petersen Art Museum, which occupies a portion of the building.

It was Barbara whose $200,000 challenge inspired alumna Sally Beisser’s major gift to establish the Sally Rapp Beisser Student Services Center within the College of Human Sciences. “She leads by example,” says Sally. “She’s a role model in philanthropic leadership and she truly has an altruistic heart. Barbara is a difference marker and she helps other people make a difference. She is a captivating conversationalist, she has an abiding interest in art and in the experiences of other people, and she is on a continual quest for knowledge.”

In 2004, Dr. Chen-Ching Liu became the third Palmer Chair in Electrical Engineering at Iowa State. “The generosity of the Palmer family in establishing the Palmer Chair has enabled the College of Engineering to recruit one of the world’s foremost scholars in electrical power systems,” says Mark Kushner, dean of the College of Engineering. “Barbara Palmer’s empowerment of the college through this gift is critical to meeting our strategic goals, and that empowerment allows engineers to appreciate the synergy between form and function.”

As a life-long supporter of Iowa State University, as well as other major educational institutions, Barbara’s generous gifts have laid the groundwork for the edification of many future generations. “I can’t think of any other way that better affects the next generation than to provide education,” says Barbara. “Its’ one of my top priorities.”