category: Faculty Emeriti - In Memory Of

Wallace Reid Carpenter

Professor Emeritus of Management Information Systems

Wallace Reid Carpenter

Wallace R. Carpenter (1926-2008), the son of Cletus Carl and Nellie Bridges Carpenter, was born in Shelby, N.C., and grew up in Cleveland County. He had three brothers and one sister. He was a 1947 graduate of Shelby High School. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in history and physical education from Appalachian State Teachers College (now Appalachian State University). He later earned the master’s degree in history and political science from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and received the Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) degree from Western Carolina University. He studied business at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He also took graduate courses at UNC-Greensboro and UNC-Chapel Hill, taking an interest in computers.

He played minor league baseball in his younger days. He coached and taught social studies for 11 years at Rutherford-Spindale (R-S Central) High School. At one time he taught courses in the business school at Wake Forest College (now Wake Forest University). After coming to Gardner-Webb in the School of Business, he helped with the development of courses in all fields, especially with the computer courses. Wallace had been in the computer world for 35 years. He was elected to “Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities.”

Having a major interest in history, Carpenter enjoyed travel and made numerous trips, including visiting the Holy Land with Dr. Van Murrell, visiting Russia with Dr. Gil Blackburn, visiting Europe with Dr. Eugene Poston and Dr. Tom McGraw, visiting Asia with Keith Griggs, and visiting New York with Dr. Barry Hambright at least 30 times.

Source: Personal Interview– Doris Banner

– James Heffner 

– Revised in May 2022 

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