In celebration of Beacon’s 20th Anniversary, Beacon President and CEO Justin Owen wrote a book called Modern Davids: Celebrating 20 Years with 20 Stories of Everyday Tennesseans Fighting Big Government. We will be sharing an excerpt from the book each month to tell you more about our heroes. The book is out now! You can secure your copy by clicking here.
There is one person whose story hasn’t been told in these pages but without whom none of the others would have been possible. That’s the story of those who have invested in Beacon to the tune of more than $20 million over the past two decades. Hundreds upon hundreds of Tennesseans have made the generous decision to support our work. And the stories told in this book are just a few of those we’re able to tell—with a happy conclusion—as a result of that generosity. We sadly lost one of those generous souls in late 2019, and he had an amazing story of his own to tell. Before he passed away, he gave me permission to share it.
“Lieutenant, get down there stat and court martial that soldier who’s got his jeep stuck in the mud!”
Lt. Carter raced off on foot just as General Dwight D. Eisenhower commanded. To Lt. Carter’s great relief, he soon discovered that the mud-stuck soldier was under another unit’s command.
To be fair, the whole of France seemed to be sinking into mud. Lt. Carter’s ten-man tent was strewn with planks just to keep the soldiers on solid ground. But at least they weren’t on that wretched boat. Months before, Lt. Carter and thousands of other barely legal men spent the arduous thirteen-day journey to LeHarve, France from New York Harbor.
This is but one of the many fascinating stories G.L. Carter, Jr. told me over the years about his days in World War II. Dr. Carter, as I came to call him, was a farm boy from Claiborne County east of Knoxville. He studied agriculture at the University of Tennessee before being assigned to the 71st Infantry Division of the U.S. Army and shipping off to fight in the European theater.
He fought in France, Germany, and Austria. His division met the Russians in Garston in May 1945 and received word soon thereafter that the war in Europe had ended. Lt. Carter returned home to finish out his studies, earning a doctorate in agriculture from the University of Wisconsin. He spent the rest of his years teaching and—his first love—farming.
I first met Dr. Carter in 2012 when he sent Beacon a check for $1,000 in the mail. Anyone who sends that big of a first-time gift must really like what you’re doing. So on my next trip to East Tennessee, I paid him a visit.
Over the next several years, I’d spend hours listening to his stories about growing up in Appalachia, farming, and his time in the war. Not only did he meet the future president on the battlefield, he once nearly knocked a French general into the Danube River right in front of General George Patton. His stories were among the most riveting I’ve ever heard.
Sadly, Dr. Carter went to be with the Lord after living a truly inspiring and amazing ninety-seven years on earth. Dr. Carter was not only a true friend of Beacon during his life, but he is furthering his legacy with us to this very day. On one of my many trips to see him, Dr. Carter informed me that he’d decided to leave Beacon in his will. We would be one of only two nonprofit organizations he would support, and we would split his sizeable residual estate.
Dr. Carter was extraordinarily passionate about education. He was concerned about the mass “factory style” education so many of our children receive and receive poorly. He was concerned that our kids were not taught real- world skills and were ill prepared to be the leaders of tomorrow. Like those of us at Beacon, he believed that parents were better decision makers when it came to their child’s education. That smaller, community schools get better results. That civics and history play a critical role in schooling. And that Beacon was in the best position to advance his values for years to come.
We take very seriously our charge to honor Dr. Carter’s legacy. His six-figure gift is allowing us to realize our shared vision for children across our state.
There are few things in life more humbling than being told that you would receive a significant portion of what a person had earned over a lifetime of hard work. Especially when that person spent his own formative years in a foxhole fighting for the very freedoms he has now directed you to continue advancing. That’s why we decided to name our legacy society for those making bequests to Beacon in his honor. Since his passing, it has been known as the Dr. G.L. Carter, Jr. Legacy Society.
Like Dr. Carter, many of you reading this book have been dedicated supporters of our mission over the past twenty years. We are equally grateful to those of you who have chosen to give what you have earned to advance our mission. As Dr. Carter has shown, the modern-day Davids gracing these pages are living proof that we can all leave an imprint on the world long after we’re
gone.
The only fitting way to end this book is simply by saying thank you.