Oct. 31, 2017

BELLINGHAM, Wash. -

Video of 2017 Carver Academic Facility Dedication Ceremony

Carver Memories -- March 30, 1962 & Oct. 13, 2017

Carver facility dedicated twice in 55-year span

Twice over a span of 55 years, a facility named for Sanford E. (Sam) Carver has been dedicated on the campus of Western Washington University.

On March 30, 1962, Carver Gymnasium, completed in the fall of 1961, was dedicated at then Western Washington State College. Over a half-century later, on Oct. 13, 2017, a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony took place for the Carver Academic Facility following a two-year renovation of "Old Carver."

"We could not have been more thrilled by the outcome," of the renovation, Western President Sabah Randhawa told the gathering at the most recent dedication. Among those on hand were 20-25 members of the Carver family, including four of his six grandchildren.

At the first gathering in 1962, Board of Trustees chair Joseph T. Pemberton said, "There never was any question about (the person in) naming this gymnasium."

In his welcoming speech, then Western President James L. Jarrett envisioned years of use of the building for participant activities and spectator sports alike.

The keynote address at that event was delivered by Dr. E.V. Pullias, a professor at the University of Southern California, who talked about the vital role of physical education in a world disrupted by turmoil, transition and the tensions of the times.

Pullias closed by saying, "Tonight, then, we dare hope that every thought and activity carried on in this building and its related facilities will contribute to our young people becoming whole men and women, balanced in action and thought."

At each ceremony, dignitaries, guest speakers, faculty members, family and friends from the community were there to honor the late Sam Carver, who was called the "Father of Western Athletics."

But Sam Carver was much more than that.

How it all began

Sanford Ester Carver was born on Nov. 25, 1888 to Alphonso and Mary Jane Carver in Montclair, Ind. He was the sixth of what became 12 children.

Alphonso Carver was a carpenter by trade, and in 1903 his half brother, who lived in Wickersham, Wash., advised him to move west for better work opportunities. Alphonso heeded that advice, and the family packed its belongings and said farewell to the three eldest daughters, who were already married and settled in Indiana.

The remaining nine Carver children and their parents boarded a train for the four-day trek to Bellingham. Sam was 15 at the time and went by the nickname of Sam because he felt Sanford was a sissy name.

Upon their arrival in Bellingham, the Carvers settled into their first home on Maple Street. Sam attended various schools in the area and eventually graduated from Whatcom High School.

Carver comes to school on Sehome Hill

In the autumn of 1910 at the age of 22, Sam enrolled at then Bellingham State Normal School (BSNS). He was a quiet, unassuming young man with high moral standards and values. He also was an outstanding athlete, excelling in gymnastics and basketball. Although there was not a gymnastics team at BSNS, Sam was still a proficient performer on the parallel bars, the swinging rings and the pummel horse.

It was no coincidence that one of his six grandchildren, Cleo Carver, placed sixth at the United States Olympic Trials for women's gymnastics in 1968.

There was no football at BSNS in 1910 and 1911, so the only "varsity" sport that Sam Carver participated in was basketball. At 5-foot-11 and weighing 165 pounds, Sam was quick and wiry. He shot the ball well with both hands and often used the innovative overhand jump shot, rather than the normal two-handed set shot of the day. With all of these attributes, it is no wonder that Carver was regarded as the best basketball player in the state. His coach at BSNS was Elias Bond, for whom Bond Hall on WWU's campus in named.

Sam was known for his hard work and fair play. The BSNS school newspaper described his effort in a game against Bellingham High School in 1911 this way: "Sam played his same clean, consistent game and made more points than any other man on the Normal team."

Because BSNS did not belong to an organized college league at that time, the school's athletic teams usually played against local high schools and club teams. In 1911, Carver was captain of the basketball team.

During the 1912-13 school year, football returned as a varsity sport at BSNS and Sam joined the team. Even though Carver lacked experience in football, his play at end was considered one of that unit's strengths.

Sam distinguished himself not only as an outstanding athlete in his three years at BSNS, but he also gained a reputation of being a kind and humble gentleman with the ability to work well with others.

The Normal school administration recognized those qualities, and upon his graduation in 1913 hired him as a full-time physical education teacher and athletic coach.

Sam as a teacher and coach

In his first 10 years in that role, Carver did not have to look far to find the rest of his full-time staff. He was it!

At that time, Bellingham Normal was an education school with one and two-year programs. There were 615 students and an 11-to-1 female-to-male ratio.

Besides his teaching duties, Sam coached all of the school's athletic teams, including football, basketball, baseball, track and field, tennis and later golf.

That inspired the title of "A Coach for all Seasons," on a tribute booklet put together by his granddaughter Julie Callahan in September of 2012.

As a coach, Carver led his teams by example. He never raised his voice or lost his composure, but he expected hard work, fair play and good sportsmanship from his student-athletes. If they did not live up to his expectations, Sam would give them some "time off" on the sidelines to contemplate their actions.

Sam's teams reflected his own personality. His 1915 basketball team was described in the school yearbook as "a fighting team, but a team that fought in the right spirit and played square." His practice sessions for his 1917 football team were depicted this way, "through rain, snow or sunshine they practiced determinedly and diligently in their efforts of giving the Normal school a worthy representative on the football field." Even though he worked his teams hard and expected much from them, Carver was well liked and respected by his athletes.

"He had a very high personal moral character," said Herb Hearsey, Western's faculty athletic representative from 1943 to 1967 and the director of Wilson Library for 24 years. "He's a person that you would single out for an outstanding willingness to stick to the rules and run the course the way it should be. He was mild, but he could get quite mad when people got out of line. He was a man of tremendous integrity..."

Following is a synopsis of Carver's coaching.

Baseball

Carver took over as coach of the baseball team in 1915, just two years after it became a varsity sport at BSNS, and continued coaching it through 1924. At that time, very few games were played each season. Over his 10-year stint, BSNS compiled an impressive ledger of 27-7, with 1921 and 1928 being the most successful, each team posting a 6-0 record.

Basketball

In 19 seasons as hoop coach, Carver posted an impressive 156-91 record from 1913 to 1933. Two particularly good seasons were 1917, undefeated in nine games, and 1923, just two losses in 17 contests.

The 1917 team earned the title, "Non-Conference Champs of Washington and British Columbia" for its efforts. The squad was described in Klipsun, the BSNS yearbook, as "seven husky, fighting, never-stopping basketball artists, each one a star at his position ... (They) were molded into a well-nigh perfect machine by the excellent coaching of Coach Carver."

The 1923 basketball team won the titles of the Washington Normal league and other minor colleges with its 15-2 record. In its first season of Tri-Normal play, the squad won three of four games against Ellensburg and took both contests with Cheney. The season was considered to be "highly successful from all angles by Coach Carver and the entire school," as reported in that year's annual.

Football

Sam coached the Normal football team from 1914 through 1932, his teams having an overall record of 40-40-7. Until 1923, when BSNS joined the Tri-Normal League with Ellensburg and Cheney, the football schedule (as well as other sport schedules) consisted of contests against local high schools, club teams and all-star squads, with occasional games with other colleges.

The best season during the Carver gridiron era was 1916 when the team was 6-1, outscoring its seven opponents, 348-42. That included an 80-0 rout of Ferndale High School, a 50-0 win over Anacortes High, and two one-sided victories over the College of Puget Sound, 46-0 and 78-14.

Sam seldom used more than 13 or 14 players in games and offensively used the T-formation almost exclusively.

"Things were a lot different back then," said Carver prior to a reunion of his 1921 squad (4-1) in 1961. "We didn't have much of a budget for football and I think most of our uniforms were hand-me-downs from before World War I. We didn't have any field at the college and played our games downtown at Battersby Field."

Golf

Golf did not become a varsity sport at BSNS until 1931, but the program flourished under Sam's leadership. BSNS, which became WWCE in 1937, was known for its strong golf teams. From 1942 through 1953, Western won 11 straight conference championships. In 1955, Sam's last as coach, the Vikings placed first at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) District 1 meet, and Western's Bob Doyle took individual honors.

1953 WWCE Men's Golf Team: (L-R)Bob Doyle, Fred Carbonatto, Ben Doyle, Sam Carver, Gene Park, Roger Stearns, Earl Peterson.

Tennis

Carver coached tennis for 18 seasons, beginning in 1917. He had a number of talented teams, winning five Tri-Normal championships.

Track & Field

From its inception as a varsity activity at BSNS in 1913, Carver coached the sport through 1946. It was Sam's favorite activity and his teams had great success. His squads won seven Tri-Normal titles between 1923 and 1938.

A particularly memorable year was 1931 when Norm Bright set a Tri-Normal meet record in the mile of 4:32.9. After graduating, Bright went on to set an American record in the two mile at 9:12.1 and competed both nationally and internationally. In that same 1931 meet, Jim Davis set a meet record of 16.0 seconds in the 120-yard high hurdles.

"I am very pleased with the work that my squad has done this year," said Carver following that season. "I think that this year's team was as good as any team that we have ever had here, and I am sure that some of the records set by the 1931 squad will not be broken for some time."

Another outstanding performer for Carver was sprinter Walt Schilaty, who won the 100-meters at the U.S. Regional meet in 1932 and qualified for the Olympic Trials. His time of 10.7 was only a tenth of a second slower than the existing Olympic record. He won the 100 and 220 yard dashes at the Tri-Normal meet in 1932 and 1933, establishing league records in both events.

To top off a great coaching career, Sam was inducted into the Helms Foundation-NAIA Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1957.

Education and Teaching

After his one-year stint in 1913 as coach of the BSNS athletic teams, Carver was named the Director of Physical Education and Athletics for Men. With the promotion, came new responsibilities such as scheduling games for all sports, budgeting department funds and arranging and teaching activity and coaching classes. This was added to his already busy coaching schedule. Barbara Shephard, a part-time secretary in the P.E. Department remembers Sam as being "bouncy and energetic" and he certainly must have been in order to keep up with all that the job required of him.

Around the department, Sam was very well liked and respected. He was known for his calm and quiet demeanor. Dr. Margaret Aitken, who was a member of the women's P.E. staff, and worked with Sam from 1946 to his retirement in 1955, recalled that he never raised his voice, yet when Sam Carver said something, that was the way it was going to be.

Carver also was known for his meticulously clean and organized office. Everything was in its place. Even the professional journals he received were bound and in order. This personal trait also showed in the way that he cared for the athletic equipment. Sam made sure that all equipment was cleaned and put away properly after use. He was also very good at fixing equipment that was in ill repair.

Leave of absence

Carver took a one-year leave of absence in 1925 to further his own education. He earned a bachelor's degree in both education and physical education at Stanford University. Sam studied coaching and physical education under legendary coach Glen "Pop" Warner and they became close friends.

Carver worked toward his Master's degree during summer breaks, attending classes at Oregon, Oregon State and Cal-Berkeley. For the final two summers and one full year of his schooling, he attended Iowa, and in 1939 received his master's degree there.

Passing of the torch

In 1933, Carver turned his athletics director duties over to Charles Lappenbusch, but Sam continued to head the Men's P.E. Department, as well as coach track and field, golf and tennis. Carver retired in 1955 after 42 distinguished years as a coach, teacher and administrator.

Sam the man

Sam Carver was greatly respected by his athletes, students, and colleagues, as well as by the community. Some of the words often used to describe him included quiet, calm, soft-spoken, intense, powerful, kind, humble, handsome, compassionate, organized, unassuming, good sense of humor, energetic, high moral character, and a real gentleman in every sense of the word.

Carver married his college sweetheart, Jessie Nicoll. The ceremony was held in Mount Vernon on Dec. 12, 1912. Jessie was a fine athlete and was very active in the local YMCA, teaching swimming and diving. They had two children, Virginia and Richard, and were happily married for 53 years.

Sam and Jessie ran a tight ship at home. The two kids understood and followed the quiet authority of their father. Richard said in an interview many years ago that when his father Sam "looked, I moved."

Richard said that what he remembers most about his father was "his high moral standards." Sam and Jessie were both active members of the Bellingham First Christian Church. Richard recalls that his father "wasn't snobbish or look down on people that didn't live up to his standards. But he had definite standards and lived up to them, sometimes regardless of the outcome."

While it may seem that Carver was perfect in every way, he did have his human side. Sam smoked cigarettes "like a fiend," said Aitken, which is surprising considering he was such a fine athlete and was always in excellent physical condition. Of course, in those days, the negative effects of smoking were not well known.

Sam's other "vice" was his weekly poker game with some of his colleagues. Every Monday night, the men would gather at one of their homes to play. The regulars included Ed Arntzen of Western's history department, Tom Hicks and Tom Hunt from the geography department, Paul Woodring from the psychology department, Vic Hoppy of the speech department, Moyle Ceaderstrom of the English department and William "Bill or Big Mac" McDonald, the Dean of Men.

McDonald recalled that Sam "was a good player with a good poker face, and he usually won more than he lost."

Retirement gave Carver time to enjoy his favorite hobbies of golf and gardening.

"He loved his garden," said granddaughter Julie Callahan. "Slugs were the bain of his existence."

Carver raised raspberries, every kind of vegetable and flowers. He took bunches of flowers to convalescent homes and gave vegetables to neighbors.

Sam passed on May 27, 1965, at the age of 77, following a long battle with stomach cancer. His death came just shy of three months after being honored in an impressive ceremony on March 2, 1965, when a large photo of himself was placed in the gym's foyer. Three years later, he was among the first seven inductees into the Western Athletics Hall of Fame.

Standing in for him at that ceremony was son Richard, who was inducted himself a few years later. They are the only father and son combo in the Viking hall.

In summary

Western was blessed to have had Sam Carver in a leadership role during the formative stages of both its physical education and athletic departments. He dedicated his life to those programs and to the students and athletes of Western. His involvement and how he conducted himself had an affect that still resonates. But most important was the immeasurable positive influence he had upon thousands of young people as a coach and teacher.

It is only fitting that 56 years after the "old" Carver Gym was completed, that Sam's name still graces the facility that underwent a two-year renovation and was dedicated as the Carver Academic Facility.

The new $81.5 million facility has brick walls. Those were supposed to be on Old Carver, but were left off the $1 million building because of cost overruns.

"Carver was more than a good coach," summed up Lappenbusch. "He also established a fine reputation as a total educator."

NOTE: Jessie Nicol Carver, Sam's wife, was a pioneer of women's athletics at BSNS and the city in Bellingham. Her parents both immigrated from Scotland. She grew up on Orcas Island with her four siblings and very little means. Her father was very "old school" --thinking that it was stupid for women to aspire to higher education, their role in life being to get married, have children and change diapers. Jessie was always first in her class, courageous and independent. She decided to leave home at age 16 and come to Bellingham. She paid for her room and board by being the live-in childcare provider for a wealthy German family. She loved sports and in her first year at Normal School--realizing that there were no organized sports programs for female students, she asked Sam if he'd consider coaching a women's basketball team. He agreed to do this, but team members had to create their own uniforms.

Jessie was one of the main swimming instructors at the YWCA in Bellingham for 50 years. She officially retired in 1972. Jessie, who lived to be 96, also had a long history of managing/directing the Life-Saving Institute for many years.

Top Photo Caption: Sam Carver third from left, Elias Bond coach

Column in 1955 Western Washington Collegian

Sam Carver Retiring After Serving College 42 Years; His Personality Leaves Its Mark On Campus

Sometimes we hear it said, and perhaps say it ourselves, that the day of great personalities has passed. We can no longer conceive of a single individual giving his name to a period. The work of nations, of institutions, is done by the nameless ones, the bureaus, the commissions, the committees. And then something happens and we realize that occasionally great personalities do emerge. We realize this very clearly at Western Washington College of Education this year.

Sam Carver, who has been teaching and coaching at the college for 42 years, is retiring at the end of summer session. All through the state, indeed across the nation, are men who were "Sam's boys," men who look back at their youth, not quite dry-eyed, and remember what it was like to be an athlete, a prospective teacher in the age of Carver. For truly, it was an age, an age of pioneering, of struggles, of hope and faith. Athletic material, equipment, funds, were all sharply limited. But hope and faith abounded. Sam believed in his boys and in education.

When boys came to him, naïve, fresh from high school, he made it clear to them that they were primarily men, men with ideals to uphold, careers to build, and only very secondarily athletic material. Sam's faith never wavered, even in the depths of the depression when there was almost no jobs available for teachers.

When the going got too rough financially, Sam reached into his own pocket to help tide some boy over a bad spot. These loans were usually repaid in time as a debt of honor has its own peculiar binding force. No boy wanted to let Sam down.

In many ways, Sam's life has been peculiarly fortunate. It has had a oneness, a continuity, that is rare today. He has been associated with the college, first as a student and then as a coach and teacher, for most of his life. At present time he is head of the physical education department, golf coach, and director of an excellent intramural program that every student praises. During his years of service the institution has grown from a struggling normal school with an almost purely local or state patronage to a nationally recognized college, with students from all over the United States and, indeed, the world. During these years Sam has done yeoman service, not only in his own department but also on the Board of Control, the Student Loan Committee, and on other key committees of the college. From faculty and students alike he has had the respect, the trust, the affection that are tributes to his good sense and his absolute integrity.

Sam has been fortunate also in his home and in his family. His wife, Jessie, also a BSNS graduate, who he married in 1912, is vivacious, witty, sparkling, the perfect complement to Sam with his quiet ways, his slow soft-spoken speech. Jessie also taught for the physical education department of the college for some years as a swimming instructor and shares his interest in sports and young people. They have a son and a daughter and six grandchildren who are their special delight.

When Sam retires he will be lost to the college but not to the college community or his friends among the students, the alumni, and the faculty. He will remain in Bellingham to enjoy his garden, his golf and his friends.

But the college will miss him.

Some of the events that have taken place at Carver Gym

Over the years, the Carver facility has been host to a number of events. Acts like Louis Armstrong, Jefferson Airplane, Ray Charles, Kurt Cobain, Duke Ellington, Simon & Garfunkel, the Tubes, Pat Paulsen, the Smothers Brothers and Ike & Tina Turner have played in the facility. There also have been NBA pre-season games featuring the Seattle SuperSonics, the Harlem Globetrotters, national basketball teams from Australia, Korea, Japan and Taiwan, and the junior national women's team from the Soviet Union. The U.S. and Canadian national volleyball teams played a match at Carver Gym, and Vice President Hubert Humphrey spoke in the building.

Presented by Paul Madison who served 48 years as sports information director at WWU from 1966 to 2015