Walter Cardwell by Doug Cardwell
- admin197673
- Sep 9
- 2 min read
My Dad grew up in Louisville, KY, and went to college (Transylvania, where I also went) and seminary in Lexington. His magnetic personality is perhaps best illustrated by his arrival in Gulfport to interview for the pastorate there. Mother was in the reception group at the train station. When she got home she told her sister that if he came, she would marry him. And he did, and she did.
He was good-natured, loving, thoughtful, loved a good joke and took his calling seriously. The Congolese responded very well to his personality. They soon learned that he loved and respected them, and they loved him back. Whenever he went into the backcountry he took his shotgun and filled the stewpots of his meat-starved hosts. He saw his job as training the people who would become the leaders of a self-governing church, and the early leaders were mostly former students of his.
When he went back for a brief visit in 1990, former students and associates came from miles around to greet him and relive old times.
When my parents moved back to the US permanently, he spent the rest of his career traveling around the country for the mission board spreading the word about the growing church in Congo and its need for assistance.
If you would like to support university scholarships for Congolese students, consider donating to one of Doug's family's named funds:
Sue Cardwell Fund—designated for women students from Bolenge Province or Equateur Province who are preparing for careers in teaching.
Walter Cardwell Fund—designated for theology students from Bolenge Province or Equateur Province.
To donate to a named fund, click the donate button above, choose "Named funds" to go to our secure donation site, then scroll to choose your preferred named fund.
To donate by check, write the name of the fund on the memo line of the check and mail to Education Congo, PO Box 29, Lamar, CO 81052 USA.
If you are taking distributions from your IRA, you might consider making a direct donation from your account to Education Congo. The distribution amount that is paid directly to Education Congo would not be taxable to you and could save you some income tax dollars. Please talk to your financial and/or tax advisors on how to best make this kind of donation. (If you go this route, be sure to notify us with details.)
