CLEVELAND - Fred Carl Jr., founder, president and chief executive of Viking Range Corp., was named Delta State University's Outstanding Alumnus of the Year on Saturday.
"Many people think that Fred graduated from Mississippi State University. Actually, he graduated from Delta State University in 1975," said Vicki Fioranelli, DSU's alumni director.
She said Carl was given the honor both for his service to the university and for the contributions he has made to the community.
Carl was unable to attend Saturday's homecoming brunch because of a previous business engagement. The award was accepted on his behalf by Bill Crump, Viking's director of governmental affairs.
Carl is a modest man who rarely accepts awards, so Saturday's event was memorable, Fioranelli said.
She said about 200 alumni attended the brunch, some of them, from as far away as Delaware and Pennsylvania.
Carl, a native of Greenwood, graduated with a bachelor's in business administration from DSU.
"Fred said he commuted to Delta State University. He said the school provided him with a good, solid education," Fioranelli said.
Carl also attended graduate school in city planning at the University of Mississippi. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War.
Carl's company, Viking Range Corp., is an industry leading manufacturer of upscale kitchen appliances for the home.
Viking serves the North American market as well as over 80 other countries throughout the world.
Prior to founding Viking, Carl was a fourth-generation building contractor, having been a design-and-build general contractor throughout his entire adult life.
Carl is a member of the National Kitchen & Bath Association Hall of Fame, and was selected as the Mid-South Entrepreneur of the Year in 1996. He has also been inducted into the Mississippi Business Hall of Fame as well as the Leflore County Hall of Fame.
In 2000, Carl was named the Community Service Award winner by the Commonwealth. The Mississippi Legislature honored Carl in 2004 with a concurrent resolution commending his career and civic contributions.
In 2006, Carl was one of only 11 individuals presented an American Spirit Award by the U.S. Small Business Administration for his volunteerism and leadership in providing goods and services to areas devastated by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma in 2005.
He serves on the executive committee of the board of directors of the Mississippi Partnership for Economic Development, the board of directors the Mississippi State University Foundation, the Advisory Board of the Mississippi State University College of Architecture and is also a member of the board of trustees of the Culinary Institute of America.
In addition, Carl serves on the National Advisory Council of the Mayor's Institute on City Design. He was a member of the Governor's Summit on Higher Education and the Governor's Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Since then Carl has been appointed as housing commissioner for Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts.
Carl is a member of the Advisory Board of the Mississippi Blues Foundation, an affiliate of the Mississippi Blues Commission, of which Carl is past chairman. He also is a member of the advisory board of the B.B. King Museum.
Carl also serves on the advisory board of Trustmark National Bank.
He is a member of the Episcopal Church of the Nativity, where he serves on the vestry.
Carl and his wife, Margaret, have one son.
