Montgomery Bell Academy - Bell Yearbook (Nashville, TN)

Page 31 text:

THE HEADMASTER Francis E. Carter came to M.B.A. in 1958. In the sixteen ensuing years, he has devoted himself to the task of making the school a top-notch institution. He has succeeded into developing M.B.A. into an institution of recognized excellence. He is dedicated to the ideals of the school, embodied in the gentleman-scholar- athlete. The school, under Mr. Carter, is dedicated to creating well-rounded citi- zens, healthy in mind, body and spirit. Mr. Carter has an unending resevoir of energy; he is always working, whether carrying out administrative duties or emptying garbage cans. When he is asked to name his occupation, he replies that he is a History teacher. Thirty-five years of intensive historical scholarship make him an outstanding teacher, and his Advanced Placement American History class re- peatedly excels in its AP examination. Mr. Carter has an intensive love for athletics, having coached football and having received several professional baseball offers, as a catcher. Yet winning is not his primary concern in athletics; he has never dismissed a coach for a losing season and never would. He loves athletics because of the finer qualities that they bring forth from the individual-endurance, love, loyalty. Mr. Carter’s devotion to the concept of “gentleman” has its roots in his Southern background and attitudes. He has staunchly upheld these principles in the face of change. His dedication to the “Latin school” curriculum, which emphasizes the basics, is responsible for the fact that M.B.A. students have regularly excelled in SAT scores. No one man could ever replace Francis E. Carter at M.B.A. His day is twelve to sixteen hours in length, his week is seven days, and his year is fifty-two weeks. He never settles for less than the best that can be achieved. The spirit that moves Francis E. Carter is the spirit that moves Mont- gomery Bell Academy. Indeed, they are nearly one and the same.