Morris Carder
Morris Carder, son of the late Millard and Laura Ann Turner Carder was born July 28, 1912 in Barren County, Kentucky. Hermon, and attended high school at Tompkinsville, Temple Hill, and graduated from Glasgow High School in 1932. He continued his education at Western Kentucky State College where he received his BS degree in 1936. For three years he taught 1st through 8th grades in ru
ral schools, Hackers Branch, Bethlehem and Oak Hill. In 1939 he decided to further his education and went to graduate school at the University of Kentucky where he received a degree in Vocational Agriculture. Carder was married to Lucille Grider in 1936. They had a long and memorable marriage of 59 years. They had two children, William Harlan Carder and Sue Ann Carder Page. He has three grandchildren, Susan Leanna Allen, William Harlan Carder II, and Robert Carder Page. Five great grandchildren, Luci Allen, Callie Carder, Kade Allen, Maci Page, and Colton Page. Lucille Carder died Nov. 11, 1995 after a long battle with cancer. In 1940 Morris and Lucille moved to Gamaliel where he became the Vocational Agriculture Teacher and FFA Advisor at Gamaliel High School. He was very active in the community. He was a member of the Gamaliel Baptist Church and served as Sunday School Superintendent, church treasurer, and was an active deacon for over 40 years. As a charter member of the Gamaliel Lions Club, he has served as President and District Zone Chairman and many community projects. His last project was planning and working on the Gamaliel Community Building at the City Park. He also served on an advisory committee for SCRTC and the Gamaliel Fire Department for several years. In 1958 the City of Gamaliel was incorporated for the purpose of voting a $136,000 bond issue for a city water system. A short time later six men, (Mr. working closely with the Gamaliel Lions Club formed the Gamaliel Industrial Foundation. They purchased 16 acres of land for industrial sites. In 1959 a 30,000 sq. ft. building was built and 270 people were employed at Monroe Manufacturing Company, making garments in a town with a population of 868. May 1961 a 20,000 sq. building was constructed for Monroe Carton Company, making cardboard boxes and employed 100 people. Carder was President of the Gamaliel Industrial Foundation and deserves recognition for his many, many hours of community service. In 1983 the “Morris Carder Vocational Agriculture Center” was erected at Gamaliel High School in his Honor. After 37 years of teaching Vocational Agriculture at Gamaliel, Mr. Carder retired. During retirement he spent his time seeing about community projects, construction of the Lions Club Community Building, construction of the new Gamaliel Baptist Church, attending class reunions and playing with his great-grandchildren. June 20, 2001, at the age of 88 Mr. Carder passed away at the Monroe Health & Rehab Center in Tompkinsville Ky. and was buried in the Gamaliel Cemetery.
