Herbert L. Carter Jr.

MURRELLS INLET, S.C. - Herbert Leland Carter Jr. died Monday, May 21, 2007 at the N.E. and Ruby Green Hospice House in Georgetown. Born in Mayfield, Ky., on Nov. 13, 1920, he was the youngest son of Herbert Leland and Kate Morris Carter. Herb was preceded in death by his parents, brother Morris, and his beloved wife Louise Vey Putnam Carter. He is survived by two daughters and their husbands, Patricia and Mickey Driver of Salisbury, N.C., and Pamela and Laurie McAlpine of Murrells Inlet; five grandchildren, Jonathan, Andrew, and Leslie Driver, Katherine McAlpine Mooring and Anna McAlpine; and a great-granddaughter, Jessica Driver. His family also includes the thousands of students he mentored and taught as Director of Bands at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. Herb graduated from Murray State University where he began his career as a clarinetist and jazz musician. There he met and married Louise "Put" Putnam. During World War II he served in the United States Air Force as a woodwind specialist and conductor. After the war he earned a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University and continued study at the Julliard School of Music in New York. In 1946 Herb and Put moved to Greenville, N.C. where he established a band program at East Carolina University. During his tenure he was a dynamic partner in the growth of the School of Music, serving as Director of Bands and chair of the Instrumental Music Department. He established the first jazz band, "The Collegians," directed summer music camps and state high school band clinics, served as adjudicator for music festivals across the country, and recruited many musicians to ECU. Herb's Symphonic Wind Ensemble performed at meetings of the College Band Director's National Association and the Music Educator's National Conference. Under his direction, the wind ensemble premiered original works by such noted composers as Gould, Giannini, Dello Joio, and Persichetti. Herb served as president of the College Band Directors National Association, president of the North Carolina Bandmasters Association, and Province Governor of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity. He was also a member of the American Bandmasters Association. He was selected as one of the ten most outstanding music directors in the United States by the School Musician Magazine and received the Citation of Excellence by the National Band Association. After his retirement in 1987 Herb and Put continued to be active in the university and community. They served as tutors, volunteered for Meals on Wheels, and were active members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. They loved to play golf both in Greenville and in the North Carolina mountains where they spent their summers. Herb was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He fought a long and determined battle with Alzheimer's disease and was a true gentleman through it all. A memorial service and celebration of Herb's life will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Greenville, N.C., on June 15, 2007 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Herbert L. and Louise P. Carter Collegians Music Scholarship at East Carolina University School of Music, A.J. Fletcher Music Center, Greenville, N.C. 27858, and to Tidelands Community Hospice, 2591 North Fraser Street, Georgetown, S.C. 29440. Sign guestbook at www.goldfinchfuneralhome.com.