Growing up, Myron Hardiman (CE’69) wanted to be a farmer.

“I spent my summers on my grandparents’ farm in southern Indiana, and I loved to ride the tractor and work in the fields.”

As Hardiman entered high school, however, he realized that farmers didn’t earn much money.

“Even though I had never met an engineer — let alone a black engineer — and really didn’t know what they did, I somehow made a mental transition from farming to civil engineering. That still remains a mystery to me.”

One of the first African American professional engineers in the state of Indiana, Hardiman joined Eli Lilly, where he held several engineering-related positions over two decades, including corporate design and construction engineering, distribution and facilities planning, engineering components quality, minority business development, and manufacturing procurement.

While at Eli Lilly, Hardiman served as the first chairman of the Minority Engineering Recruiting Task Force to improve recruitment of minority engineers, establishing recruiting programs at Tuskegee University, Prairie View A&M University, and North Carolina A&T University.

After retiring from Eli Lilly in 2001, Hardiman served as the executive director of Advancing Minorities’ Interests in Engineering (AMIE) from 2001–2017.

Recalling his arrival at Purdue University in 1965, Hardiman was one of about 125 black students on campus.

“Most of us didn’t know each other and we had no existing support systems, other than maybe the athletes. We had to form our own support systems and we became a community within the Purdue community.”

For Hardiman, being part of a tiny minority on a campus of 20,000 was a new experience.

“I came from an integrated school system in Muncie, Indiana, so I was used to seeing other blacks during the day,” shares Hardiman. “I was the only black student in the School of Civil Engineering until my sophomore year and there were only three of us my senior year. You could go the entire day in classes and not see another black face.”

In the days before the red brick protest of 1968, before the formation of the Black Cultural Center, it was up to students to create their own systems of support.

“Since you could go hours — or even days — without seeing another black person, the Sweet Shop was the hang out for blacks between classes. It became our BCC, so to speak. We would congregate there between classes, play cards, or just socialize. Once I joined Kappa Alpha Psi, it became my support system and social outlet.”

In 2010, Purdue recognized Hardiman’s outstanding accomplishments with the School of Civil Engineering Alumni Achievement Award.

Hardiman has been married for 50 years to his beautiful wife, Gwendolyn. He is the father of two lovely daughters, Rachelle and Kellee, and proud grandfather of four. He is a member of Light of the World Christian Church in Indianapolis, where he has served as treasurer, trustee, member of the stewardship committee, and chairman of the building committee, and currently serves as the vice president.