Max Carr

Max was born to Okey and Mary Rollyson Carr on November 4, 1919, the third of five children. Max and his siblings grew up in Akron, Ohio. Max was a natural learner with a near-photographic memory, so it followed that he was an excellent student. From an early age, he enjoyed constructing things, including complex machines from discarded parts. Even as a boy, Max was a tireless worker, whose jobs ranged from delivering coal to picking vegetables and washing cars. He spent several boyhood summers working with family members in West Virginia, determined to help his parents and siblings during the hard times of the Great Depression. Along with his father and his uncle, Max helped construct the family home in Akron, single-handedly excavating a 10' x 10' basement beneath the house when he was only eleven years old.

After graduating from high school in 1938, Max worked as a WPA stone mason, a section hand on the Pennsylvania Railroad, and a telephone installer for Ohio Bell.

In 1943, with World War II raging in Europe and the Pacific, Max enlisted in the U.S. Army. Soon after, he took a test to become an Army Air Corps cadet, earning a score high enough to qualify him as a pilot. He began training in the B-26 and the Douglas C-47, but extensive flight training eventually led to training in the C-46, and assignment as a combat cargo pilot. In that capacity he was sent to Chittagong Air Base in India, in the heart of the China-India-Burma Theatre. He became a member of the 14th Squadron of the 4th Combat Cargo Group, where he would remain until the end of the war. Max flew 283 successful combat cargo missions "over the hump" in the Himalayan Mountains. He was awarded numerous decorations for his service, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, and four Air Medals. On his return to the United States, Max took a position with Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, rising through the ranks to managerial positions and overseeing a large staff. As a leader within the company, he exemplified hard work, open communication, and a clear-eyed willingness to face—and overcome—problems.

One notable challenge came when Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as President. Immediately, Southwestern Bell was notified that the new president would require a communications system at his Johnson City ranch, and that it must be equivalent to that of the White House. This massive task was mandated to be completed within two weeks, and because of his broad experience and understanding of telecommunication, Max was made coordinator of the project. Hundreds of phone company employees were assigned to the job which, against great odds, was completed on time.

Max was a talented pilot, and even when he was working full-time for the telephone company he found ways to continue flying. In 1950, he joined the reserves; his favorite aircraft was the T-28, a high powered single-engine trainer, which he flew out of Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio.

He continued to fly airplanes through the 1950s and into the early 1960s, at which time he became fascinated with helicopters. Though he had never flown helicopters, he learned he could do so in the Army National Guard, flying helicopters out of Camp Mabry. In time he became commander of the helicopter company.

Max ended his military flying career in 1964, but he wasn't finished as a pilot. In 1971, he bought a Beechcraft Musketeer and began teaching his wife, Cassandra, to fly. The pair traveled all over North America in planes they owned, ranging from a Comanche to a Bonanza to a Maule.

Max was a self-taught and accomplished artist, whose representational paintings are graceful and precise. He was also a builder, and he built his family's Tarrytown home while working fulltime for the telephone company, coming to the site after hours and often working sixteen-hour days. He also built a house at Lake Travis, excavating rocks from the lot, using found materials, and completing the house on weekends and after hours. A prodigious worker, Max always had his mind on a project.

He retired from Southwestern Bell in December 1983, after which he turned his energies to his painting and to helping guide a number of young people who sought him out for direction in their professional and personal lives. He also enjoyed traveling with Cassandra, as together they visited countries in South America, Asia, and Europe. During the past ten years, the Carrs especially enjoyed spending time at Jumping Rainbow Ranch, their summer home near Livingston, Montana.

Max Carr was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend. He is survived by Cassandra Carr, his wife of 41 years, as well as his children, David Carr and his wife, Donna, and Kathleen Carr Hobbs; grandchildren, Josh Hobbs and his wife, Paula, and Sasha Hobbs Harrison of Ft. Worth, and her husband, Jerry; great-grandson, Rylan Harrison; three step-grandchildren; and nine step-great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at University Presbyterian Church, Austin. The family invites friends to a reception following the service. Graveside services, with full military honors, will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 8th at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to University Presbyterian Church, 2203 San Antonio, Austin 78705; or to Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 100 East 27th Street, Austin 78705.