Ed Carson dies at 80

Edward Carson, longtime bank and business leader, died March 12 at his Beverly Hills home. He was 80.

He and his late wife Nadine, both former Sun Devils, made major contributions toward the advancement of ASU athletics through the highly successful Campaign for Leadership that raised more than $560 million and the completed $19.1 million renovation of the Nadine and Ed Carson Student-Athlete Center in 2002.

Carson also was instrumental in securing a $5 million naming rights sponsorship for the Wells Fargo Arena.

The undergraduate student body president, Carson earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and advertising from ASU in 1951. He then joined First Interstate Bank of Arizona as a teller, beginning a 44-year career that included chairman, from which he retired in 1995.

He had remained active in the foundation of various university groups throughout his life.

Nadine, his wife of 54 years, died of cancer at 76 in 2007.