When Don Charleston graduated from Moraine Park Technical College in 1974 with a one-year technical diploma in Mechanical Drafting, he left with more than a credential—he left with purpose. For more than five decades, that purpose has driven him to improve the lives of others, including Moraine Park students.
Each year, Don and his wife, Ann, provide generous scholarships to help make education affordable for Moraine Park students. Recently, Charleston added the Foundation to his estate plans–a decision that will leave behind a legacy of lifelong learning and opportunity.
“Moraine Park will be here long after I am gone,” Charleston said. “It is important to me that students of the future are given the same opportunity to get an education as I was. There are many people who want an education but cannot afford one. Many of those people could be future success stories, so it is up to us who have a little extra to support those who do not.”
After earning his technical diploma, Charleston moved to Peoria, Illinois, where he began a successful career in the heavy equipment industry—four years with WABCO and 30 with Caterpillar.
“I only lived two years in Fond du Lac,” Charleston said. “During that time, I quit two jobs and was unemployed for a year. We lived on my wife’s $4 an hour salary as a registered nurse. Despite our financial difficulty, my two years in Fond du Lac were two of the happiest years in my life due to a life changing place…called Moraine Park.”
During his 30-year career with Caterpillar, Charleston’s work took him from the rolling hills of San Diego, where he tested alternative clean-burning engine fuels, to Russia and China, where he helped build electronic buses.
“Moraine Park was with me every day of my career, no matter where I was in the world,” he said.
Since retiring from Caterpillar, Charleston has continued to serve others. He has volunteered as an elder at Washington Presbyterian Church, an EMT and training officer for the Washington Rescue Squad, a 27-year volunteer for the Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure and a member of the William Mosher Foundation for prostate cancer.
One of Charleston’s proudest accomplishments after his retirement was facilitating a partnership between the Moraine Park Foundation and the Caterpillar Foundation for matching gifts. Thanks to him, the Moraine Park Foundation receives a donation annually from the Caterpillar Foundation for its Alumni Scholarship fund.
“My Moraine Park diploma opened a door to new opportunities for me when I needed it the most,” Charleston said. “I was given a quality education that launched my new career. When I look back at my life after my Moraine Park years, I see that I owe almost everything I have today to my education there. I was fortunate to have a school like MPTC available to me.”
Visit Legacygiving.morainepark.edu
Celebrating 50 Years of the Foundation
As the Moraine Park Foundation celebrates 50 years, it honors a legacy built on generosity and purpose. For five decades, donors have helped remove barriers, open doors and empower students to pursue hands-on education and meaningful careers. Your Generosity. Our Mission. Empowering Students for 50 Years.
