Family, Friends and Colleagues of Charlie William Carter

Charles “Charlie” William Carter was born September 27, 1951, in Highland Park, Illinois., and grew up in Lake Bluff, a town north of Chicago near the Wisconsin border.

He received a bachelor’s degree from Earlham College in 1973 and a Ph.D. in environmental chemistry from Drexel University in 1981. He spent his career in the field of environmental testing and analysis. Charlie spent the last 15 years working with the environmental testing firm TestAmerica, where he was vice president responsible for all technical matters, providing critical scientific expertise and support to all areas of the business. His colleagues looked to him as the brain trust of the organization. He was deeply respected by all who knew him, both in the company and across the environmental industry.

He was active in a number of environmental organizations and a frequent speaker at environmental conferences and forums. He was the winner of the 2010 Outstanding Publication Award from the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors for his article with Irwin H. Suffet, “Binding DDT to Dissolved Humic Materials,” Environmental Science and Technology 16:735-740. He enjoyed golf, birdwatching, hiking and could still beat his sons at raquetball at age 63.

He will be remembered for his radiance, his sense of humor, his humanity and his supreme competence and problem-solving ability. He always had a smile on his face. He will be profoundly missed but never forgotten; his humor, friendship, and love of learning will stay with his friends, colleagues, and family forever.