INTRODUCTION
This narrative is in response to a request from Ms. Stephanie Peterson McMillan who along with her sister Ms. Angele Peterson have established a foundation to continue the philanthropic work of their grandparents, the Carters. I have focused on the legacy of “giving” which characterized the Carters. These experiences occurred during my student days at Oakwood College (now University), and while living with and working in the Carter’s family-owned nursing homes in Cleveland and Oberlin Ohio, during the mid-1960’S.
FIRST TIME EXPERIENCES
I first became aware of the Carters through their only child Wanda. While at Oakwood, Wanda met my friend Edward Peterson and they became boyfriend and girlfriend. I first noticed the Carter’s love for giving when they would send Wanda boxes of assorted “goodies” comprised of fruit, homemade cookies, cakes, exquisite chocolates, imported sodas, nuts, and other surprises. Since I was Edward’s friend and Edward was Wanda’s boyfriend, I was invited to share her blessing from the Carter care packages. Even though I had not met them personally, my fertile imagination was awakened by these overtly loving and seemingly wealthy people who could afford to regularly send such “lavish” care packages to their daughter, who would then so generously share her blessing with her hungry and grateful friends. It seemed that giving and sharing was common for the Carters, including Wanda.
MORE LIFE LEARNING EXPERIENCES
My next experience with the Carters was during the marriage of Wanda and Edward. As a close friend Edward invited me to serve as a groomsman at the wedding. Since I was still a student at Oakwood and quite poor, Edward arranged for me to stay at the Carter home in Oberlin, which gave me opportunity to observe the family up close. During that time, I observed Mr. Carter serving, not only as the “head” of the home, but he was the “spiritual leader” as well. There was little doubt that spirituality was an important factor underlying their emphasis on giving. Mrs. Carter was sweet, with a pleasant personality, but when she spoke, there was an intentionality and purpose in her voice that gave me the impression that she could be the “boss” anytime it was necessary.
It was also very interesting to learn about the family history and their early business start in Oberlin, a city which had established itself as one of the earliest places in America that was open for positive racial interaction between blacks and whites.
One day while practicing for the wedding ceremony, I had a rather unexpected encounter with Mrs. Carter. During the conversation, I revealed that I was not able to provide a wedding gift for the new couple. Much to my surprise, Mrs. Carter took me downstairs to the basement of their modest, and beautifully adorned home. When we reached the downstairs and Mrs. Carter switched on the lights, my mind was blown away just as it was with the Oakwood care packages, to see rows and rows of all kinds of toasters, electric can openers, pots and pans, pressure cookers, towel and sheet sets, flowers and home accessories of every color, size and configuration. Her words to me echoed the earlier impression of her “in-charge” status.
“Choose whatever you want as a gift for Wanda and Edward”, she said with a broad smile. I was shocked with an obvious sense of surprise and disbelief! “Really”, I said while trying unsuccessfully to reduce my excitement. She said it again. “Take whatever you want”.
This time with jubilation I managed to blurt out a loud “thank you”, as I reached up for a bright and shiny toaster. “How do you manage to have all this beautiful, stuff down here”, I stammered while trying to sound intelligent and respectful at the same time. Her response was as surprising as the earlier invitation to choose a gift. “I stay alert for sales and deals all the time”, she said, “and when I catch one, I take full advantage and usually secure major price concessions which enables me to buy in bulk.” My only response was a firm “wow”, I was really impressed, perhaps as much by her business acumen as I was with the toaster.
I was even more surprised and happy by her gracious act of kindness enabling me to escape the embarrassment of not having a wedding gift.
The real impact of this experience came years later when I became aware of the practical brilliance of her mind, first to buy in bulk when the time and price were both aligned. However, the larger impressionable lesson I gleaned was the impact and the profound attribute of “giving” that she demonstrated on that day in her basement. This was a normal thing for the Carters who on a regular basis, gave so generously to their church, church schools, the community and struggling college students like myself. This practice of giving, I learned, over time, became a major part of the Carter legacy, particularly for educational causes and institutions. And it is alive and well in the “giving” attitude and behavior of the grandchildren as demonstrated by the purpose of their foundation.
NURSING HOME LIFE…CLEANING, CUTTING AND CLAIMING NEW SKILLS
After the wedding, I spoke with Edward about my chances of working for the Carters. He said that he would put in a “good word” for me since I was becoming “known” to the family. Edward made the contact then suggested that I follow up by asking Mr. carter about a summer job. I took his suggestion seriously, and Mr. Carter graciously agreed to accept me as a summer worker in the family-owned nursing home in Cleveland.
The Carters owned and operated two nursing homes in Cleveland. One on 82nd Street, a residential neighborhood of old, large, well-built homes with extensive, lawns. More about the lawn later.
The other home was on Cedar Avenue and was more akin to a hospital-like building with wide, tiled floors, brick walls and multiple levels.
The 82nd street property where I spent most of my time, was used as the headquarters, and Mr. Carter was especially proud of its appearance and executive-level status. Based on its location and architectural structure, it resembled an old mansion with carpeted floors, high walls, large windows, elegant staircases, and a front lawn that looked like a football field. The mansion had recently undergone renovation to be used as a nursing home with multiple private patient rooms, bathrooms, a sunroom, nursing station and an office/garage in the rear.
My job was to make sure the rooms, floors, stairs, and bathrooms were dusted, vacuumed, and cleaned and polished every day, and that the grass was cut on a weekly basis.
THE “JOY” OF CUTTING THE LAWN
I was ok with the cleaning part since I had gained experience during my student days cleaning offices at Oakwood. But cutting grass on a lawn the size of a football field was a new experience, and reaching Mr. Carter’s exacting standards was a challenge. His philosophy was that the lawn was the first thing that visitors saw and he wanted everyone to get a positive impression of Carters Nursing Home from the presentation of a well-groomed, neatly cropped lawn. Needless to say, my first “go” on the new riding mower was a total disaster! When Mr. Carter came out to inspect my first cut, he was kind in his assessment, but when he described the job, his words spoke strongly about what I needed to do to improve. “Keep the rows straight, adjust the depth of the cut, and slow it down”, he said. It was painfully obvious upon examination with an eagle-eye by the “man”, that my work cutting the yard came out in bad shape.
The interesting and probably unfortunate reality about cutting grass is that once it’s cut, you can’t fix or re-cut it! It’s sort of like angry words which once spoken cannot be taken back. So, improvement, if it comes at all, must come later, when it grows back again. However, with time, patience, and strong supporting words from Mr. Carter, I am happy to say that I finally made the grade like my boss wanted.
I was even impressed with myself to be able to show off the clean, straight-line rows and manicured, evenly cut grass that he demanded….and to help maintain Carters Nursing Home as a showpiece for the neighborhood. It was another life lesson learned.
OBERLIN BOUND
The weekends were always special. Every Friday evening, just before sunset, like clockwork, Mr. Carter and I drove the 40 miles from Cleveland to Oberlin, which was their permanent home and where they also operated a nursing care home. I learned quickly that another significant responsibility was to serve as chauffeur for the trip. I didn’t mind this new job because any red-blooded young man would “jump” at the chance to drive Mr. Carter’s brand new, shining, fully loaded, Cadillac Deville. So, it was never a dull, job responsibility, it was pure magic! I never gave a thought at that time about what a privilege it was that this man would trust me, a young, not quite mature student, to drive his royal machine. Always, of course, under his watchful eye and cautious, yet free-spirited dialogue. “Go ahead, give it some gas”, he would say, “but stay in control”. He never said it out loud, but Iinterpreted his words as indication that he liked to go fast.
It was a wonderful experience! This was long before modern interstates, so the drive was quite beautiful with majestic views of Lake Erie to the north and the rolling hills and beautiful meadows of the Ohio landscape along the way. The Oberlin trip was noteworthy for several reasons. First it was beautiful as I have indicated, second, it gave us opportunity to unwind from the often-hectic pace of life in Cleveland to the restful peace and tranquility of their Oberlin home. Finally, it provided opportunity for interaction and communication between Mr. Carter and me.
This included deep and insightful talks about how to run a business, how to solve the problems of the church, and how to give love and respect for God, the church and the family, etc. There were so many positive and instructive things that occupied our time together usually with Mr. Carter talking and me listening. I didn’t tell him, but I secretly dubbed his wise musings and advice as “Carterisms”.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Thinking about the Carters and re-living those positive memories of living with and working with them reminds me of a publication that has pretty much gone out of public popularity. It was called the Readers Digest, and each month, featured a segment called “The Most Fabulous Persons I Have Ever Known”. It was always a joy to read the segments featuring human interest stories about the memorable and outstanding experiences of everyday people and how they inspired or impacted the lives of friends and relatives.
Mr. And Mrs. Espie U. and Bessie Carter were such people. They lived to demonstrate service to others especially in Education. Their example of hard work, honesty and love for people was an inspiration for me and many others. Their legacy of philanthropy is confirmed by the presence of a recently renovated female residence hall on the campus of Oakwood University which bears the Carter name.
In my opinion, and based on my experience and observation, there is no question that the Carters would meet the standard of how the Readers Digest editors selected candidates for their most fabulous people segment. Finally, I am convinced by demonstration and example that Mr. And Mrs. Espie U. and Bessie Carter meet and exceed my definition of “The Most Fabulous and Impactful People” that I have ever known.
A NOTE OF THANKS TO DR. McDONALD:
Dr. McDonald and my father, Edward Peterson, have been friends since childhood growing up together in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They were the best of friends when I was born and he is affectionately known as “Uncle Tim” and he is also my godfather.
After completing his degree in Elementary Education at Oakwood College, the heart and alma mater of the Carters, Uncle Tim has gone on to continue his education with masters and doctoral degrees. He thanks God for all the experience he gained through both teaching and administrative experiences in the educational field here in the USA as well as abroad. I note, with personal fondness, that he returned to Oakwood College, now University, to close out his working career serving as Provost and Sr. Vice President.
I can say with all certainty, my grandparents would be pleased and praise God to see what a small seed they planted in Uncle Tim was able to yield in his 50 years of service to others.
It is our hope that all the students who are able to benefit from the Carter Peterson McMillan Foundation will be blessed to attain all their educational goals as did Uncle Tim.