Creating Leaders in Society: Why Carol and Charlie Herder Support Budding Scientists at Kinkaid

Charlie and Carol Herder support Kinkaid because they believe the School has an opportunity to create real leaders for our future.

Carol and Charlie Herder's children, Sarah ’01 and Charles ’05, were both well rounded students at Kinkaid who left the School very prepared for their bright futures ahead. Why do Carol and Charlie continue to support Kinkaid well after their children have graduated? For the Herders the answer is easy: "Kinkaid has an opportunity to create real leaders in society's future."

The foundation received in those Kinkaid halls served both of our children well in their collegiate work at Duke, UCAL Santa Barbara, UT, and, of course, for Charles' undergraduate and doctoral work at MIT. We feel the academic programs at Kinkaid provided a solid foundation in basic curriculum and at the same time fostered true collaborative work habits in the arts and sports programs. Leaving Kinkaid, students are confident and equipped with the tools they need to excel at the top college campuses in the United States…not just to be competitive but also to excel. This is something we feel proud to support.

Over the long haul, the quality of education that can be obtained at Kinkaid sets this educational institution apart and leads us to provide our support. We created the Herder Scientific Research Fund to facilitate more students at Kinkaid becoming involved in independent scientific research. A combination of the expert guidance of physics teacher Linda Miller augmented by research consultant Dr. Ed Chen provided a fertile field for serious research.

The process of creating a thought hypothesis, testing that hypothesis, understanding error, redesigning, and completing the task is central to the process of scientific research and of basic problem solving throughout life. This is the ultimate goal of the Herder Scientific Research Fund. Charles' experience with this was certainly one of the stepping-stones leading to his very serious interest in research and his recent receipt of his Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science at MIT.

We feel that by supporting the scientific research program at Kinkaid, we have a unique opportunity to help nurture future leaders in our society. We are grateful to Kinkaid for what it has provided for our children, and we were honored to start an endowed fund to be a small part of that same experience for current and future students.

Be a Partner in Kinkaid’s Future

Contact Lisa Wood at lisa.wood@kinkaid.org or (713) 243-5023 to learn how you can follow in the Herders’ footsteps and make your impact for tomorrow’s leaders with a gift to Kinkaid.