It's a moment in life you don't forget.
In fall 1956, C.G. Therkildsen was studying at the SigEp fraternity table in the library when he noticed a beautiful co-ed across the aisle at the Tri Delta table. It was Joyce McEwen, and “Turk,” as his friends call him, had just set eyes on the love of his life. Their first date was for Coca-Colas at the Memorial Union.
A student from Harlan, Iowa, Turk was an aspiring football player with a dream of becoming a Division I player until, he says, “I discovered my wheels were not Division I speed.” Seeking a broad engineering foundation, he chose to major in industrial engineering.
Joyce came to Iowa State from her hometown of Zion, Illinois, and pursued a double major in zoology and physical education. She and Turk were married on Aug. 31, 1957, and fondly recall their years together at Iowa State as “Camelot.”
Not only did the two find love at Iowa State, they also discovered the true power of education and hard work. “Iowa State shaped our work ethic,” Turk says. “It was known as a tough university. We learned integrity, character, tenacity, and drive that have served us ever since. We are indebted to many, including our coaches as well as educators and professors.”
The couple graduated together in 1959 and moved to Zion. Turk worked for a company in Waukegan, Illinois, and simultaneously completed an MBA degree at Northwestern University. Joyce also received a Master of Arts degree from Northwestern and taught and coached in high schools for several years.
In 1974, Turk became a shareholder and general manager at Industrial Hard Chrome, now headquartered in Geneva, Illinois. Then he and Joyce acquired the company — steering it through five decades of growth and success.
Their passion for Iowa State was rekindled in 2013 when Turk read an article about Joseph Walkup, former chair of Iowa State’s industrial engineering department, who had inspired Turk as a student. He and Joyce soon returned for a campus visit; impressed with the growth of his department, they began seeking meaningful ways to give back, establishing the C.G. “Turk” and Joyce A. Therkildsen Department Chair in Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering in 2016 and the C.G. “Turk” and Joyce A. Therkildsen Professorship in Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering in 2018.
In 2021, the university announced another visionary contribution from the couple: a lead gift of $42 million toward the construction of a new building for the department — the largest single gift to a facility project in Iowa State history.
Joyce and Turk embody the Cyclone spirit of hard work, innovation, and integrity,” ISU President Wendy Wintersteen says. “Their transformational generosity strengthens Iowa State’s national prominence in engineering and ensures future generations of Cyclones have the same life-changing educational opportunities they did. We are deeply grateful for their support.”
On May 1, Turk and Joyce celebrated another meaningful moment on campus: the ribbon cutting for the Therkildsen Industrial Engineering building. The new building — which will be bustling with student activity by this fall — is located on the southwest side of Howe Hall and features state-of-the-art spaces including the Sukup Advanced Manufacturing Lab, a human factors and ergonomics teaching and research lab, and a data-intensive engineering analysis and visualization lab for teaching and research.
The couple notes their generosity stems from both gratitude for Iowa State and a bold vision for the future: “The department has always been good, but we want to elevate it to unbelievable,” Turk says.
Just as unbelievable is the arc of the Therkildsens’ lives at Iowa State, from the moment they met in 1956 to nearly seven decades later, when their devotion — to each other and their beloved university — now stands as an enduring legacy, etched into a building that will spark new Cyclone memories for generations to come.