Thomas Jerrell "Jerry" Carter, Jr. '52
Thomas Jerrell "Jerry" Carter, Jr. attended Severn for his senior year in 1951-1952. His father, a Navy doctor, was stationed at the Naval Academy hospital at the time.Jerry moved frequently as a child with his parents and older sister Marilyn. Jerry was born in American Samoa. At age 10, he learned to play golf on sand courses in Egypt. His love of golf continued throughout his life as he developed a low handicap and enjoyed playing courses in Scotland and Ireland.
After high school in La Jolla California and his senior year at Severn, he enrolled in a five-year college program, graduating from Amherst College with an AB, and from MIT with a BS. Graduate work at MIT found him at Oak Ridge TN and at Cambridge MA to earn his MS. Accepting employment as a chemical engineer with Atomics International in Canoga Park, CA, he worked on nuclear reactors in Idaho Falls ID, Winnipeg Canada, and Piqua Ohio (part of Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace Program).
Moving his family to Maryland in 1969, he joined the Atomic Energy Commission to help with the regulation of nuclear reactors. With the formation of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Jerry continued his career with safety licensing of power plants until his retirement in 2000. He made significant contributions to regulatory issues based on his engineering expertise and knowledge of nuclear plant operation.
Jerry unfortunately passed away in November of 2015 at the age of 80. His wife Carol sent Severn a note with a generous gift from Jerry's estate. She wrote that "In his will, he wanted to recognize the school that helped him in his life's learning and career. This gift is to be used to encourage other young men in their life choices."