Ed Carson dies at 80

<p>Edward Carson, longtime bank and business leader, died March 12 at his Beverly Hills home. He was 80.</p><separator></separator><p>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.</p><separator></separator><p>Carson also was instrumental in securing a $5 million naming rights sponsorship for the Wells Fargo Arena.</p><separator></separator><p>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.</p><separator></separator><p>He had remained active in the foundation of various university groups throughout his life.</p><separator></separator><p>Nadine, his wife of 54 years, died of cancer at 76 in 2007.</p>