Petersburg
1947-1950
In the Indiana city of the Petersburg in 1932, a boy was born to the Carter family who would grow into one of the city’s great athletes.
Richard Carter became a two-time IHSAA state pole vault champion (1949-1950), two-time Pocket Athletic Conference football running back (1948- 1949) and a very good basketball player.
Sophomore Carter won the 1949 IHSAA pole vault state championship with an amazing 12-8 3/4, after finishing third to Don Hajek and Tom Kincaid of Evansville Reitz in the regional. His 1949 vault had been bettered by only two vaulters before him (Walter Famer of Gary Froebel in 1935 at 12-10 and Bill Moore of Logansport in 1942 at 13-6 1/8) Both are members of the Indiana Track and Field and Cross Country Hall of Fame.
Carter's story became much more inspiring after a two-car collision near Monroe City in July following his state championship vault. Richard and two friends were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital, where doctors said that amputation of his right arm was necessary to protect from gangrene or possible death and that he might lose the sight of the right eye. Upon hearing this, he pleaded with his mother to not let the doctor amputate the arm. Finally, they concluded that they would try to save the arm and they succeeded!
In 1950, Carter picked up where he left off, recovering from all his injuries and resuming his track and field career. He again won the IHSAA state finals pole vault. His two state finals wins were only the sixth multiple pole vault wins in IHSAA history.
To help the family and join the army, Carter left school thereby forfeiting his opportunity to become the first IHSAA vaulter to win three championships. Serving in the Korean War, he was wounded in September 1951, and on September 30, 2007, the family received Corporal Richard L. Carter’s Purple Heart Medal for wounds received in action.
Retiring from service, Carter married and worked for his father-in-law’s construction company as a master welder. In 1959, he died from injuries due to paint thinner fumes inside a steel drum exploding when he touched a welding torch to the barrel on a project in Shelbyville.