J.L. "Nick" Carter, Longtime Advisor

Perhaps the most influential sponsor Rho Sigma ever had was Jewell Larkin Carter, our sponsor from Fall 1954 to Spring 1962. J.L. Carter, nicknamed "Nick" after the popular dime novel detective Nick Carter, was born in Nevada County, southeast of Arkadelphia. He lived on a farm until age 15, when the family moved to Fordyce. Carter distinguished himself as a 150-pound running back at Fordyce High School, being named All-State quarterback both his junior and senior years. He enrolled at the University of Arkansas in Fall 1913 and lettered in football under Coach E.T. Pickering. Carter led the Razorbacks to a 14-3 road win in Arkadelphia over the Ouachita Tigers (Ouachita had received the nickname "Tigers" the preceding spring). After the game, while eating at a local restaurant (football players had to furnish their own meals in those days), Carter was approached by a wealthy Ouachita booster about playing for the Tigers. Carter agreed to meet with some Ouachita backers at a later date. He was met by the Tiger supporters in a swanky touring car -- one of the few automobiles in Arkadelphia -- and promised a student job that would pay for his college expenses. Coming from a poor family, Carter accepted, and in Fall 1914 transfered to Ouachita to play football under Coach Morley Jennings. That year the Carter-led Tigers whipped the Arkansas Razorbacks, 15-9, in Fayetteville. This was the first time an Arkansas college team had beaten the University in football. In fact, Ouachita is the only Arkansas college that has beaten the Razorbacks. The Tigers have a 2-6-1 record against the U of A. The Fall 1914 Tigers were undefeated, 8-0-1. They whipped Magnolia A & M (now Southern Arkansas University), 85-0. They shut out Monticello A & M (now University of Arkansas at Monticello), 54-0, and blanked Jonesboro A & M (now Arkansas State University), 62-0. They defeated the Oklahoma School of Mines, 30-6, and slipped past the University of Mississippi ("Ole Miss"), 7-0. Then they blanked Oklahoma Normal and Mississippi College, 19-0 each. The Tigers also shut out Little Rock Junior College (now UALR), 34-0. The 20-year-old Carter was the quarterback and field general, running sweeps that went unchallenged. The Tigers racked up 291 points to their opponents' 15. The only blot on the spotless season was the season ender, a 0-0 tie against arch-rival Henderson-Brown College (now HSU). Carter avenged the tie the following year, 31-0. Another outstanding win that year was the 76-0 victory over Arkansas College (now Lyons College). The 1915 Tigers outscored their opponents, 229-25. "Nick" led the Ouachita eleven to a 34-7 drubbing of the Reddies in his final game in Fall 1916, capping his third undefeated season as a Tiger. Ouachita's football teams lost no games while Carter played, and they won the state championship every year. Carter was chosen All-State quarterback each of the three years he played, and was named best individual player in the state. According to Carter, football was much rougher in those days, involving lots of pushing and pulling as well as more modern practices. The teams also played on hard, rough fields and wore virtually no padding. Besides his accomplishments as a football player, Carter also starred in baseball at Ouachita, playing center field. He ran both dashes and relays in track, and only missed the state 100-yard dash record by one-tenth of a second. After serving as a lieutenant during World War I, Carter returned to Arkadelphia, where he married local resident Louise Hall on January 5, 1925. Mrs. Carter was a child prodigy in music. While attending elementary school, she studied music at Ouachita College. At the age of 11, she represented the college in the senior division of a state music contest and won. Her father was a member of the Ouachita Board of Trustees for nearly 40 years. The Carters had a daughter, Martha. J.L. Carter briefly sold Spalding athletic equipment, then worked for Arkadelphia Milling Company. In 1930, he opened Carter's Men's Store. He operated the store on Main Street until 1955. When the Red Shirts were formed in Spring 1935, they ordered distinctive red shirts, white ties and trousers as fraternitywear. Dress shirts were usually white in those days, so the red shirts had to be specially ordered. The outfits were obtained through Carter's Men's Store. When Carter was past 30, he became interested in golf. He quickly became Arkadelphia's city champion, winning four city championships. In five attempts, he won three state senior championships and was runner-up the other two years. He won the senior division of the El Dorado Oil Belt four times and was the Arkadelphia Country Club's championship golfer. From 1952 to 1955, Carter was a member of and secretary to the Ouachita Board of Trustees. He served as Ouachita's business manager from 1955 to 1957. From 1958 to 1962, when he retired, Carter was chairman of the Building and Grounds Committee and coach of the golf team. He was also sponsor of Rho Sigma from Fall 1954 to Spring 1962. At his retirement, Carter was honored with the Distinguished Alumnus Citation. Although Carter's Men's Store was closed, Carter was probably responsible for the idea of the famous red fraternity blazers adopted by Rho Sigma in 1959. The "fire engine red" wool-felt blazers with gold metallic buttons and blazer crests were ordered through Red Shirt alumnus J.W. Bethea's clothing store and made their first appearance at the wedding of Red Shirt Harold Johnson in Pine Bluff in Spring 1959. Their first appearance on campus was at a home football game in October 1959. Giving his love and time freely, Nick Carter gave the lasting impression of a person with the rare quality of living to help others. He didn't stop at giving himself to Ouachita. He gave the city of Arkadelphia abundant reasons to remember him. On January 21, 1965 he was inducted into the Arkansas Hall of Fame as one of Arkansas' earliest football heroes and as an outstanding civic leader. Among his civic contributions were serving as president of the Arkadelphia Chamber of Commerce and as chairman of the Arkadelphia Water and Sewer Commission, serving as vice president and stockholder of Home Loan Insurance Company, serving as a board member of Federal Building and Loan Company, and membership in Rotary Club, Arkadelphia Country Club, Rose Hill Cemetary Association, and Arkadelphia Retail Merchants Association. He was also vice president and treasurer of Gum Springs Development Company, which handled the Reynold Aluminum plant development project (involving a $210,000 transaction to locate the facility in Arkadelphia). The organization helped acquire about 1,500 acres for the plant site and helped relocate many families who had to move. At the time of his death on May 28, 1967, Carter was a retired merchant and board chairman of the Arkadelphia Chamber of Commerce. He is still revered as a beloved Red Shirt mentor and sponsor.