B. Carter White, leader, advocate, and supporter of the Berkshire community, died on April 22 at the age of 90 at his West Stockbridge home, with his children and caregivers by his side.
For nearly 50 years, Carter devoted his time, wisdom, and ingenuity on behalf of more than two dozen human-service, performing-arts, environmental, civic, and educational organizations—all within Berkshire County.
His door always open, his canine forever at his side, Carter’s home was a beehive of activity and host to a constant stream of people from all walks. Availing his many talents on behalf of those around him and the organizations he served, Carter’s appetite for knowledge and for discourse was insatiable and ever evolving.
Far afield from where he ultimately landed in his life’s work, after graduating from Dartmouth with a bachelor’s in history, Carter’s career began in Chicago in the late 1950s working for Western Electric, which at the time was regarded among the most technologically advanced corporations in the world. In the years following, as a managing partner with Carlisle DeCoppet, in the early 1960s, Carter helped spearhead the first online trading system on the New York Stock Exchange.
At the pinnacle of that career, centered around life in Manhattan, Carter and Carol (his soulmate and wife of 54 years) took a radical turn in 1976 and moved permanently to their weekend home in Richmond, where he assumed a very different life that coevolved with the greater Berkshire community in which he became immersed.
Early on, Carter and Carol met Tom Krens and became captivated with his enterprise, Alliance Editions, a silk-screening startup run by Tom and a few of his Williams College students located in North Adams. In 1978, they bought Alliance and transformed it into a company that designed, screen printed, and wholesaled women’s casual wear, branded T-shirts and custom totes for nearly a decade.
While the organizations Carter served were varied, the realms of his involvement were constant. Particularly skilled in finance, strategy, and planning, he remained steadfast to the ideals of social purpose and the constancy of mission, posing to all of us time and again the most basic question: “Why are you here?”
Though far from complete, a smattering of organizations Carter proudly served, and through which his life’s work continues include: The Mount, Montessori School of the Berkshires, West Stockbridge Historical Society, BFAIR, Berkshire South Regional Community Center, Hancock Shaker Village, Richmond Land Trust, West Stockbridge Vision Committee, Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Berkshire Theatre Festival (The Berkshire Theatre Group), Berkshire United Way, Hospice Care of the Berkshires, Gould Farm, Berkshire Grown, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Berkshire Land Use Commission, Community Health Association, Miss Hall’s School, Interlaken School of Art (now IS 183), and Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.
Carter felt fortunate to live in a place where nature and culture abound and where the challenges of stewardship never cease.
Brooks Carter White is survived by his brothers, Scott Brown (Ann) and Geoffrey White; his sisters, Victoria Bonebakker (Erno) and Priscilla Reeves; his children, Tom, Tamara Marz (Brian Zucker), and Liza Turley (Jay); four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Individuals wishing to make a donations in Carter’s name are encouraged to give to the Berkshire charitable organization of their choice. Condolence notes and memories can be forwarded to Tamara Marz, 8 Water St Housatonic, 01236. A memorial service is planned in late August with details to follow. Condolences may be made through the website of Birches-Roy Funeral Home.
