Herbert Leland Carter

Image source: Herbert L. Carter

Herbert Leland Carter was born on November 13, 1920 in the small town of Mayfield, Graves County, Kentucky. The area was once part of the Jackson Purchase, an eight-county transfer instituted by President Andrew Jackson and the Chickasaw Tribe in 1818. As a young boy, Carter took to the clarinet and joined the school band, gaining an appreciation for Jazz. After high school, he enrolled in Murray State College where he was the lead alto saxophonist. He also played the clarinet with a campus dance band. While at Murray State, he met and married Louise Putnam, whose father was the chairperson of the voice faculty. Together, they bore two daughters, Patricia and Pamela.

In 1942, Carter joined the U.S. Army Air Force. His musical talents were recognized and he played in various Air Force bands until his discharge in 1945. Carter moved to New York City, where he enrolled at Columbia University, earning his M.A. in 1946. That same summer, he was hired by East Carolina to teach music and direct the band. He became the fifth member of the music department faculty. Carter continued post-graduate studies during semester breaks and summers at Columbia and the prestigious Juilliard School of Music until 1954.

Upon his arrival at East Carolina, Carter set about improving the band program. He recruited thirty-five students with musical talent and organized them into two groups, a marching band and a swing band he named “The Collegians.” Under his leadership, more and more students flocked to the music program, forcing a move out of cramped spaces in Wright Auditorium and Old Austin into Whichard. Continued program growth led to the construction of the A.J. Fletcher Music Center along the southeastern boundary of campus.

Carter’s responsibilities grew to include overseeing a half-dozen bands including the Symphonic Wind Orchestra. He always shared his love and appreciation for music, traveling extensively throughout the United States and Mexico to conduct music camps and to serve as a festival judge. In 1975, School Musician magazine recognized Carter as one of the Top 10 outstanding music directors.

Carter retired from East Carolina in 1991 after over four decades of service. In addition to his role as band director and music professor, he held membership positions with the College Band Director’s Association, the North Carolina Music Educators, and the North Carolina Bandmaster’s Association.

Carter passed away on Monday, May 21, 2007 in Georgetown, South Carolina. He was survived by his two daughters and five grand-children. In his memory, East Carolina University dedicated the practice space in the A.J. Fletcher Music Center as the Herbert L. Carter Rehearsal Hall in addition to establishing the Herbert L. and Louise P. Carter Collegians Music Scholarship.

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