Fifty years ago, Pete Carter decided not to be a pharmacist. The 40-year educator, Scout leader, coach, Sunday School teacher, community organizer, Blount County Commissioner, surfer and Leadership Blount executive director came very close to being none of those things if it wasn’t for a life-changing decision that he attributes to the will of God.
The man whose smiles and hugs and great love for his community are known all over Blount County is staunchly faithful, full of love and joy even in difficult times.
“I’ve been blessed that way,” Carter said. “God had a hand in my marriage and marrying the right person. We’ve had some rough times and bad times, and bad times come to everybody, but we have to know there’s a reason.”
Carter is a lifelong Blount Countian, born in 1954 in “the old section” of Blount Memorial Hospital. His dad was a barber, and his mom stayed at home, raising Carter and his brother on a tight budget in a small Alcoa home. After high school, Carter started at the University of Tennessee, planning to be a pharmacist, until he met the love of his life and his love of teaching all at once.
Kim, now Carter’s wife of more than 50 years, brought Carter to her church, Clarks Grove Cumberland Presbyterian, and convinced him to take a turn teaching Bible school.
“I had 4th through 7th grade kids, and I had too much fun,” Carter said. “It was like God was saying, ‘You have a plan, but I have a different plan.’”
The experience pushed Carter to switch career paths, using his science credits to get certified to teach. He graduated and married Kim within just a couple of days of each other, then went on the job hunt, landing his first teaching position at Maryville’s John Sevier Elementary School. He later became a teacher evaluator for the state, and then principal at Fort Craig Elementary. After 33 years, he “retired the first time,” and then came back to education.
Twice.
Why? Carter said he loves building people’s confidence. “I love seeing the light in the eyes when they really understand something,” he said. “I like getting to know the child and figuring out what helps them learn what they need to know.”
His confidence-building didn’t stay in the classroom, though. Carter has a love of the outdoors, is an avid surfer, and values physical activity and teambuilding. During his career in education, he helped revive Scout Troop 87, growing it to 50 strong, adding a Venture Crew, leading young people on adventures, including rebuilding the privy at the Cable Gap backcountry camp site. He helped coach the Maryville High School boys soccer team and was the first coach of the girls soccer team. He led school groups at Tremont Institute, coached middle school track, and was the first president of Foothills Striders “because I was late to the meeting.”
“Some kids had never been outdoors, and they’re a different person,” Carter said. “I believe kids have experiences at camp that make a difference and change their life.”
While Carter and wife Kim, who taught home economics at William Blount High School for 31 years, were building up other families, they were growing a family of their own. After waiting two years to adopt a child, they adopted Scott David Carter at two days old, a child in need whom they found through local acquaintances.
A brilliant student and an Eagle Scout, Scott attended UT and became a sports journalist. In 2022, he passed away due to complications from COVID-19.
“We were blessed to have him,” said Carter. “We were very, very blessed. We lost Scott, but we had him for 29 years.”
Carter said his faith, his wife’s love, and his community helped get him through that time, and Kim found solace in becoming Mimi to two young children in their church.
During Carter’s stint as a teacher evaluator in 1989, he joined the Blount Chamber of Commerce, later to become the Blount Partnership. There, he helped bring a new program to Blount County. Leadership Blount was designed to foster and support community leaders, modeled after a program that existed already in Knoxville. Carter helped write the schedule and was part of the first Leadership Blount class in 1991.
Around the same time, Carter decided to run for Blount County Commission, to be “one of those people who makes a difference,” he said, winning the District 3B seat with $800 and a knock-on-doors strategy. After four years as a commissioner, he picked up a petition for re-election.
“Kim said, ‘You can either be a commissioner, or you can be married,’ so I didn’t run again,” he said.
Carter remained active as a Leadership Blount alumni for many years, until, while attending graduation for the Class of 2016, he noticed a difference.
“It didn’t feel right,” he said. “Leadership Blount was becoming less relevant.”
This was at the tail end of Carter’s only year of “real” retirement. Kim had retired in 2015 and asked Carter to take a year off with her. But that year had been hard. After a fall at a Scout gathering, Carter had shoulder surgery and knee surgery. His mother passed away. But the Carters were also able to spend plenty of time in their beloved Hawaii vacation spot. It was there that Carter received a message to all Leadership Blount alumni announcing the search for a new executive director.
“Kim said, ‘I know you would have way too much fun,’ and that’s been the way it is. They decided to take a chance on me,” he said.
Carter jumped right in, crafting and leading the two-day retreat for the Class of 2017. Now, at 71, Carter has led 10 Leadership Blount classes. He thanked former assistant Eliza Connaster and current assistant director Jackie Eul for their help along the way.
“It’s nice to have (Eul) with us,” he said. “Between the two of us, we can figure it out. We make a good pair.”
To Carter, Leadership Blount doesn’t feel like work, just like being a teacher didn’t feel like work.
“I work because I want to,” he said. “I love getting to know the classes. Each class has its own personality. If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life, and for 50 years, that’s kind of been the way it is. If you were one of my students, I wanted to be the best teacher you’d ever had. When I was a principal, I wanted to be the best principal you’d ever had.”
Carter loves Blount County, and his work in the community is helping him realize a vision for what Blount County can be.
“In my Blount County vision, everybody gets along with everybody. I want people to move in here and say, ‘This is the most wonderful place because people talk to you, and if there’s something you need help with, someone will help you.”
And Carter is living that vision every day, through his smiles, his energy, and his commitment to serve others.
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