Carter Clarke Osterbind, III

Carter Clarke Osterbind III, professor emeritus at Jacksonville State University, passed away at age 81 from complications associated with melanoma. He was a prolific painter and visual artist whose legacy will endure through his art. Carter grew up in Gainesville, Florida, where his father worked as an economics professor at the University of Florida; he spent his summers with family in Blacksburg, Virginia. A celebrated high school athlete, an injury shifted Carter's path to Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee where he earned a degree in English Literature. After college, he spent three years as a Naval officer during the Vietnam war. While on tour, he was assigned the collateral duty of ship's photographer, which he always credited with turning his attention towards art. After the service, Carter applied to law school but not before taking a few art courses. Those few art courses determined the trajectory of the rest of his life, and he went on to earn his B.F.A., M.Ed., and M.F.A. from the University of Florida. While he was pursuing his M.F.A., Carter met his wife of 43 years, Kelly (MacMillan). They married in 1980 and moved to Jacksonville, Alabama after Carter secured a teaching position at Jacksonville State University. Primarily a painter, Carter also taught drawing, photography and printmaking over his 28 years at the University. Carter often reminisced fondly about teaching and how his students were a constant source of visual interest. Carter was active in the civil rights movement during his college days in Memphis, which he credited with making him a lifelong Democrat. He was a die-hard Florida Gators football fan. He read the New Yorker magazine every week and was a surprisingly good dancer. His cheerful and optimistic disposition made him a kind and patient grandfather. Carter is survived by his wife Kelly, his six children and eight grandchildren: Reilly Kimmerling, her husband Kevin and their children Charlotte, Finn and Henry; Mary Moerlins, her husband Mike and their children Lucy and Jack; Walter Osterbind, his wife Margaret and their children Frances and Louis; Thomas Osterbind, his wife Yanina and their daughter Ruby; Audrey Osterbind and her husband Hayagriv Sridharan; and Sharon Osterbind and her partner Kristen Coffey. Carter is preceded in death by his sisters Rosilie Saffos (1984) and Ellen Jonassen (2013).

A memorial service will be held June 20, 2025 at the Houston Cole Library, 11th floor at Jacksonville State University at 3pm.

In lieu of flowers the family encourages contributions to the Art Achievement Scholarship at the Jacksonville State University Foundation.