A Legacy of Appreciation
1888 Society member Palmer "Jack" McCarter wants to tell stories about family when he talks about his legacy. He describes the achievements of his daughters and son, and the adventures that he had with his wife throughout the years. After Jack served in the horse cavalry and Army Air Corps in World War II, one adventure he shared with his wife was coming back to school at New Mexico State University as older students.
"She was smart," says Jack of his wife, Elizabeth "Evelyn" McCarter. He remembers how they met, as he sat behind her in high school in Roswell, New Mexico. After sneaking a small garden snake into class, Jack used the distraction to talk to her. It was an icebreaker that allowed Jack and Evelyn to share decades together, eventually owning ranches and breeding cattle.
They earned degrees at NMSU-for Jack it was a BA in '68 and an MA in '70, both in ag econ, and for Evelyn, it was a BA in '69 in general business. Jack said both he and his wife felt a "warm closeness" for NMSU, developing relationships with faculty across campus. Jack held Professor Carruthers-now Chancellor Carruthers-in high esteem.
When Jack was a grad student, Dean Philip Leyendecker tapped him to start a new program in the NMSU Agricultural Extension Service. Under a Bureau of Indian Affairs grant, he took the cattle breeding program to Native American homelands throughout the state.
"NMSU was fundamental to our lives, and we wanted to show our appreciation," says Jack, now living in Port Angeles, Washington. Evelyn passed away in 2012.
Their appreciation came in the form of two McCarter Endowed Family Funds, one in the College of Agricultural Consumer and Environmental Sciences and the other in the College of Business. These were established in 2004 and provide support for faculty and graduate student research. Jack's estate gift will also grow the principal of these two permanently endowed funds to support even more Aggie students in the years to come.
Create Your NMSU Legacy
Contact Steven Covington at (575) 646-3190 or (800) 342-6678 or plannedgiving@nmsufoundation.org to discover the many ways that you can follow in Jack and Evelyn's footsteps with a meaningful gift that speaks to your NMSU passion.