Carpenter no one-year wonder
Published 11:18 pm Saturday, July 30, 2011
Ah, those famous last words. “Just take it for one year until we find someone else.”
That someone else always turns out to be the person who just took it “for one year.”
For Roy Carpenter, that one year turned into 14.
Carpenter was like a lot of people in Coal Grove. He enjoyed going to the football games on Friday night and showing up to watch practice during the week. He found himself helping out with the Hornets Nest athletic booster club, attending meetings and running the concession stand.
When Rufus Johnson finally stepped down as the president of the boosters, head coach Dave Lucas talked to Carpenter about taking the position.
“He told me to try it for one year. He said it’s going to fold if I don’t take it,” said Carpenter.
It seemed like a perfect transition. After all, it was just for one year.
Carpenter then went to some of the other “practice fans” such as Rock Keaton, Dick Keaton and the late Carl Swartzwelder to enlist their help.
“I asked them to come to the meetings since they were there. They’ve helped out a lot. They did a lot of the work,” said Carpenter. “We did have some pretty good help.”
But for 14 years it was Carpenter who sold the booster signs that hang at the football games. It was Carpenter and members of his family who worked the concession stand at the football games.
“People called it the Carpenter Concession Stand. But when my grandsons played, they made me leave before the kickoff and watch the game,” said Carpenter.
Although he was originally from Olive Hill, Ky., Carpenter moved to Coal Grove in 1951, the day before school began, when his father got a job at Armco Steel. The family had relatives and friends in the area that helped with the transition.
Carpenter played one year under legendary coach James “Red” Dutey but he hasn’t missed a game in 30 years.
There’s that “just one year” thing again.
The booster club would have anywhere from 15 to 20 people who would show up for planning meetings or to work on different projects, but only a few such as Rock Keaton and Swartzwelder got stuck with the toughest jobs and handled the business ends.
Carpenter said Swartzwelder did more than anyone could imagine.
“They miss him. He has been hard to replace. He did so much,” said Carpenter.
Carpenter gave up his position a little over a year ago to Nathan McKnight, but he still attends meeting and helps with the concession stand.
“I didn’t campaign for the (president’s) job. There’s a lot of time involved. I was retired and that was good because it took a lot of time. But I loved it,” said Carpenter.
With the high school football season approaching, Roy Carpenter is getting ready to love it for just one more year.
— Sinatra —
Jim Walker is sports editor of The Ironton Tribune.