David Leonard Carder

He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Patricia L. Carder; sons, Robert J. Carder, Mark D. Carder, and Douglas J. Carder (Ginny); daughters, Cynthia A. Carder and Jean E. Vaughn (Mike); 14 grandchildren, David, Ellen, Oliver, Amy, Sam, Lydia, Daniel, Troy, Fallon, Franklin, Abby, Mason, Lucy, and Geneva; and three great-grandchildren.

Carder was born on January 3, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York of missionary parents home on furlough. He attended grammar schools in Santa Cruz, Tenerife, Canary Islands; Orlando, Florida; Batesburg, South Carolina; and Torrance, California. He graduated from Wheaton College Academy in 1951, and from Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois in 1955 with a B.S. degree in Political Science. In 1959, he received a Master of Arts degree in International Affairs from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts.

Carder spent several years in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving as a Rifle Platoon Commander, Battalion Liaison Officer, and Force Reconnaissance Platoon Commander on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. He graduated from the 503rd Airborne School in Okinawa, Japan in January 1963, was promoted to Major in July 1966, and transferred to Retired Status (USMCR) in March 1967.

From 1990 until his retirement in 1998, Carder was President of Vulcan Lands, Inc., a subsidiary of Vulcan Materials Company. He came to Vulcan in 1977 as Vice President, International Division, and from 1982 through 1989 was Executive Vice President and General Manager of Vulcan's Middle East Division.

Before moving to Birmingham, he served simultaneously as Vice President of Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. and President of Wailea Land Company in Honolulu, Hawaii; and earlier as Group Vice President of International Basic Economy Corporation (IBEC) in New York City, and President of IBEC Housing International, Inc. in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Carder was elected a member of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) in 1970, and continued as an active member through July 1978. In 1997, Birmingham-Southern College awarded Carder the Medal of Service. In 2010, he was the recipient of The General Leonard F. Chapman, Jr. Medallion from The Marine Corps University Foundation, Quantico, Virginia.

Carder's civic and professional associations included: President, Better Business Bureau of Puerto Rico; President, Zoological Society of Honolulu, Hawaii; President, The Birmingham Festival of Arts Association, Inc.; President, The Kiwanis Club of Birmingham; Trustee and Director, Birmingham Metropolitan YMCA; Director, Birmingham Football Foundation, Inc.; Director, Alabama Small Business Investment Company, Inc.; Faculty Fellow, and Chairman, The Norton Board of Advisors, Birmingham-Southern College; Advisory Council, UAB Center for International Programs; Trustee, Civic Club Foundation, Inc.; Advisory Board, The Salvation Army; Alabama District Export Council, U.S. Department of Commerce; The Newcomen Society of Alabama; Trustee, Marine Corps University Foundation, Inc.; Chairman, Birmingham Committee on Foreign Relations; and President, The American Committees on Foreign Relations. Carder was also a member of The Country Club of Birmingham.

Carder family members have been active members since 1977 at Mountain Brook Baptist Church, where Mr. Carder was a Life Deacon, a Past President of the Dotson M. Nelson Bible Class, and a Past Chairman of the MBBC Foundation.

A memorial service will be held in the sanctuary of Mountain Brook Baptist Church on Monday, June 29, 2026 at 2 p.m. Visitation will take place in Hudson Hall following the service.

The family wishes to express their gratitude to Dr. Jay Whatley and nurse Lisa Morris of UAB's Camellia Group for their medical care and guidance to Mr. Carder during the past 13 years.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorials be made to the Mountain Brook Baptist Church Foundation, 3631 Montevallo Road South, Birmingham, AL 35213, or give to The Beeson Divinity School, 800 Lakeshore Drive, Birmingham, AL 35229.