海角乱伦社区

In the midst of a massive campus rebuilding project following the 2008 tornado that struck Union's campus, Gary Carter was swamped with the largest and most challenging task of his 海角乱伦社区.

That didn't stop Carter, Union's senior vice president for business services, from showing his typical kindness in the small things.

"He ordered me a pink hard hat to wear during our construction of all the new buildings following the tornado," says Kimberly Thornbury, who previously served as vice president for student services at Union and is now vice president at The King's College in New York. "I still keep that hat in my office today.

"He is totally in the middle of rebuilding the entire campus. Literally in the middle of all that, he took time to find something fun and bless me with that pink hard hat. It's just an example of how he's such a class act."

After 28 years in his role as Union's chief financial officer, Carter is retiring at the end of July. He has helped lead Union's business and financial efforts through periods of great growth and through periods — like the tornado — of unimaginable difficulty.

"I wear the Union label, and wear it proudly," Carter says. "We've always stayed on mission, making the main thing the main thing.""

A native of Campbell, Missouri, Carter attended Southern Baptist College (now Williams Baptist College) in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, where he earned his associate degree in 1973. A professor there introduced him to Union, so in the fall of that year, in his 1960 Volkswagen Bug and about $300 in his pocket, Carter rolled into Jackson to continue his education.

Tragedy struck only three weeks later, as Carter's father passed away.

"It was a difficult time, making the transition and losing Dad," Carter said, "but Union really reached out to me and loved me and cared for me."

Carter began working part-time for a local certified public accountant while he finished his degree, and went to work for him full-time upon his graduation from Union in 1975. A few years later, Carter joined another partner, Michael Steele, and the two opened their own CPA firm in Jackson.

One of Carter's VIP clients was former Union President Robert Craig. Another was then-Union President Hyran Barefoot. In 1990, when Barefoot came in to file his tax return, he informed Carter that Union CFO Bob Elliott was retiring the following year.

"We think you're the one who's supposed to take his place," Barefoot told him.

"Well, Dr. B, I'm really honored, but I wouldn't have any interest in doing that," Carter replied. "We have a real 海角乱伦社区 practice. I love what I do. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna die doing this."

Barefoot told Carter to think about it some more and that he'd contact him again after tax season. When that time came, Carter was still resolute about his lack of interest in the job.

But Barefoot persisted and convinced Carter to meet with him and Elliott to talk about the position. Out of respect for them, Carter agreed to meet with them privately at his home — so nobody would know about it.

The three men met and talked for about an hour and a half. At the end of the conversation, Carter hadn't changed his mind. He has a heart for evangelism, and his job gave him many opportunities to share his faith with clients and colleagues.

Barefoot asked Carter to pray for the next couple of months about the possibility of coming to Union. As he and his wife Regina began to pray, that's when God began to change Carter's heart. After about three months, he informed Barefoot that he would take the position, and he began at Union on June 1, 1991.

"He had a hard time leaving public practice to come to Union because he wasn't sure how he would interact with the lost," says Carla Sanderson, Union's former provost.

But Carter soon discovered that his work at Union afforded him the same evangelism opportunities he thought he had left behind.

"I can remember on several different occasions having the opportunity to share my faith with students, and to actually see a few of those come to know Christ right in my office," he says.

Over the years, Carter helped lead the Union campus' expansion. The Penick and Blasingame complexes were already built when he arrived, as were the original Hurt and Watters housing complexes and a few buildings in what is now Heritage Residence Complex. The McAfee Commons was under construction.

That means Carter was involved with the completion of McAfee and Heritage, the Barefoot Student Union Building, Hammons Hall, Fesmire Field House and the entire development of the west campus — Miller Tower, Jennings Hall, White Hall, Providence Hall and The Logos.

But his biggest challenge came with the tornado in 2008 that wiped out almost all of Union's student housing and caused significant damage to other campus buildings as well.

"You can't explain what took place on the rebuild short of God's divine intervention,"" Carter says.

By September, Carter had a front-row seat and witnessed an insurance payout, demolition of the old housing units, drainage, grading, utilities and construction for 14 new buildings that students moved into for the fall semester. On some days, more than 1,000 construction workers were present on campus.

"I've seen a lot of change over all those years, and I've never gone back to look at how many millions of dollars of construction that is, but probably close to $125 million of construction," Carter says.

Thornbury describes Carter as a patient man who was willing to listen to her and answer "my endless list of questions and concerns every week." He helped her understand the business-related issues and processes that she says she still uses today.

"Sometimes I would bring him a specific specialty coffee from Barefoots Joe when I needed some extra grace from him with a project," Thornbury says. "If I brought him a dirty snowman, he knew I needed something."

Sanderson says Carter's family always took priority in his life. He and Regina have four daughters — three of whom (Charity, India and Grace) are Union graduates, while Addie Ruth is a current Union student.

"Sometimes that meant getting a little knock on the door during a meeting, and it was one of his daughters," Sanderson says. "The way he treated his children was always beautiful to me. He made time to help them."

His colleagues also saw in Carter — especially during the tornado aftermath — a man of deep faith in God. Sanderson says Carter made financial decisions following the tornado that went against his conservative tendencies and were huge acts of faith on his part.

"Never once did Gary say, 'Y'all, look what we're signing up for here,'" Sanderson says. "Never one time did he question the Lord's provision for Union through that crisis."

Former Union President David S. Dockery says that in the days after the tornado, Carter managed every project, provided oversight for the assessment processes and helped to carry out the insurance negotiations while serving as the point person on all matters regarding finances.

"His ability to support his colleagues and keep others informed of our needs and challenges was the glue to the recovery process," Dockery says.

The former Union president also says Carter is characterized by a love for Union and for its mission.

"He came to work every day not looking for any affirmation or attention, but only to enable others across the Union community and to help everyone join together to advance the shared work of Union," Dockery says. "He managed multiple projects in capable ways, year after year, without fanfare."

Union President Samuel W. "Dub" Oliver said Carter's faith in Christ has kept him "rock solid" in terms of his commitment to Union's mission and core values, and he has been an anchor on the Executive Council with valuable experience to help provide leadership to the university.

Oliver also said Carter's tenure at Union has been marked by a deep love for students, faculty and staff — one of the reason's Union's Staff of the Year Award is named in Carter's honor.

"Union is a very different institution than it was when he came 28 years ago," Oliver said. "But what has not changed is that Union is made up of faculty and staff who live out that mission. Gary has sought to love well the people of Union."