Inspired to Give

When asked to name his favorite memory from his UNC undergraduate days, Geo. “Watts” Carr III quickly responded, “that has to be the day I had a blind date with my wife-to-be, Betsy Steele, for the State-Carolina football game my sophomore year. We met in the stands right after the opening kick-off. Roman Gabriel QB’ed for State, but UNC prevailed. I even met Betsy’s parents at half-time and took her by our home in Durham to introduce her to mine later that evening, a good start.”

Carr’s family has a lengthy history with Carolina. His father was a class of 1940 officer, varsity basketball player, Phi Beta Kappa and was elected President of the General Alumni Association for 1968-96. Carr’s great-uncle, James Horner Winston, was UNC’s first Rhodes Scholar.

Carr followed in his father’s footsteps to Carolina.

“Actually he told me I could go wherever I wanted, but that he would pay for me to go to UNC,” Carr said. “I really never considered going anywhere besides Carolina and loved every minute of it from my experiences as president of the freshman class, to being on the freshman basketball team, to many of my classes and professors, and involvement with campus activities such as the Germans Club and Order of Gimghoul.”

These hands-on experiences inspired Carr to establish the Betsy Steele and Geo. Watts Carr Environmental Support Fund to financially assist students at the various field sites of the Institute for the Environment.

“Our hope is that this generation of students will make a positive difference on the way we handle environmental matters in the future,” said Carr.

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