Obituary for Dr. John H. Carter Jr.
Longtime Town of Poughkeepsie resident and scientist Dr. John H. Carter, Jr. passed away at
home February 4, 2021 from complications due to Covid‐19. He was 85.
John was born and raised in Washington, DC on September 5, 1935, son of the late Mary
Magdalene (Madge) Carter (née King) and John H. Carter, Sr., being one of three children. He
graduated from Dunbar H.S. and attended Catholic University where he received his B.S. degree
in Chemistry. Always fascinated by science, John continued his education, next getting his
Master’s degree in Chemistry from Howard University, then his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from
the University of Oregon in 1964. John became an active member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
It was at Howard University that John met his future wife, Sonja Carter (née Moore). They were
married January 30, 1960. After graduate school, John accepted a position with the International
Business Machines Corporation (IBM) and moved with his growing family to the Town of
Poughkeepsie, NY in 1964. IBM was one of the only companies at the time willing to hire Black
scientists and engineers and was very supportive of his continued training and career.
John worked at IBM for over 30 years, rising from Staff Scientist, to Manager, to Executive
positions. Among his notable accomplishments, John was one of the first Black employees to rise
to a managerial position. He established and managed the Chemical Processing Plant at the IBM
East Fishkill Semiconductor facility. He was recognized with an IBM Black Engineer Award and
articles were written about him in the IBM publication, THINK Magazine. He served as a member
of technical advisory boards for the U.S. Secretaries of Commerce and Defense. His
responsibilities took him to every part of the U.S., much of Asia, and most of Europe. He found
great pleasure and satisfaction in his work.
John had always committed himself to education and using his talents to help others. In
Poughkeepsie he tutored young Black students in math and science and taught nights at Dutchess
Community College. He fought hard in the 60’s to ensure that Black children had equal access to
education in Dutchess County. After retiring from IBM he became an Adjunct Professor of
Chemistry at the City College of New York (CUNY) before accepting a Professor position in the
Department of Chemistry at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in the 1990’s.
In his later years John established a hypnotherapy practice to help a number of people in the
Mid‐Hudson Valley of New York. In this capacity, Dr. Carter was a sought after therapist with a
background that included his multiple certifications and his Dale Carnegie training.
For those that knew John well, it is no surprise that he had a huge number of interests and
hobbies. These were as varied and eclectic as he was. He was a huge Jazz enthusiast and avid
photographer. He was also a skilled sculptor and woodcarver. He collected ventriloquist dolls,
puppets and masks. And books! John was an avid book collector and had a favorite ‘mom‐andpop’
book store in every place he visited. One could say he helped some stores fight the “Amazonification”
of book sales. John and Sonja travelled extensively, including extended tours of China
and Europe. They frequently took the train to NYC to visit their favorite restaurants in Manhattan
and enjoyed going to Broadway shows.
One of his favorite personal studies was Mysticism – he loved to learn about different people and
alternative beliefs and was a life‐long practitioner of transcendental meditation. He was
fascinated by the African diasporic religions such as Santeria and Voodoo. He once even snuck
into an actual Voodoo ceremony and got called out by the priestess!
Some of these interests may surprise some people, but what everyone knew about John was his
love for fishing. He could be found off the coast of Acapulco catching sailfish; off the Alaskan
coast hauling in a 200 lb halibut; fly‐fishing among the Grizzly bears in the swollen rivers of
Montana; out on the salt flats of Florida hunting the elusive tarpon; or surf casting for blues and
stripers on Nantucket. In some ways he was equally happy fishing any small backyard stream for
trout. He loved fishing and made countless friends that shared his love for the sport. He was
always searching for the “Big One”.
John loved his family and worked tirelessly his whole life to provide for their prosperity and
success. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Sonja, and his four children, John of Poughkeepsie
NY, Kenneth & his wife Kimberly of Hadley MA, Jerrold of Brighton MI, and Laura who resides in
Grand Cayman. He is also survived by his grandson Jack, sister Miriam of Lanham, MD, Sister‐in‐
Law Wanda of Rancho Palo Verdes CA and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. He was
predeceased by his brother, Lawrence R. Carter.
Funeral and burial arrangements are being handled by William G. Miller & Son Funeral Home,
Inc., 371 Hooker Avenue, Poughkeepsie NY 12603. The family is planning a small graveside
ceremony to be followed by a celebration of his life later this year when travel and gatherings
are no longer a danger. In lieu of flowers the family requests donation to the Alzheimer's
Association on behalf of Sonja Carter (www.alz.org).
home February 4, 2021 from complications due to Covid‐19. He was 85.
John was born and raised in Washington, DC on September 5, 1935, son of the late Mary
Magdalene (Madge) Carter (née King) and John H. Carter, Sr., being one of three children. He
graduated from Dunbar H.S. and attended Catholic University where he received his B.S. degree
in Chemistry. Always fascinated by science, John continued his education, next getting his
Master’s degree in Chemistry from Howard University, then his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from
the University of Oregon in 1964. John became an active member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
It was at Howard University that John met his future wife, Sonja Carter (née Moore). They were
married January 30, 1960. After graduate school, John accepted a position with the International
Business Machines Corporation (IBM) and moved with his growing family to the Town of
Poughkeepsie, NY in 1964. IBM was one of the only companies at the time willing to hire Black
scientists and engineers and was very supportive of his continued training and career.
John worked at IBM for over 30 years, rising from Staff Scientist, to Manager, to Executive
positions. Among his notable accomplishments, John was one of the first Black employees to rise
to a managerial position. He established and managed the Chemical Processing Plant at the IBM
East Fishkill Semiconductor facility. He was recognized with an IBM Black Engineer Award and
articles were written about him in the IBM publication, THINK Magazine. He served as a member
of technical advisory boards for the U.S. Secretaries of Commerce and Defense. His
responsibilities took him to every part of the U.S., much of Asia, and most of Europe. He found
great pleasure and satisfaction in his work.
John had always committed himself to education and using his talents to help others. In
Poughkeepsie he tutored young Black students in math and science and taught nights at Dutchess
Community College. He fought hard in the 60’s to ensure that Black children had equal access to
education in Dutchess County. After retiring from IBM he became an Adjunct Professor of
Chemistry at the City College of New York (CUNY) before accepting a Professor position in the
Department of Chemistry at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in the 1990’s.
In his later years John established a hypnotherapy practice to help a number of people in the
Mid‐Hudson Valley of New York. In this capacity, Dr. Carter was a sought after therapist with a
background that included his multiple certifications and his Dale Carnegie training.
For those that knew John well, it is no surprise that he had a huge number of interests and
hobbies. These were as varied and eclectic as he was. He was a huge Jazz enthusiast and avid
photographer. He was also a skilled sculptor and woodcarver. He collected ventriloquist dolls,
puppets and masks. And books! John was an avid book collector and had a favorite ‘mom‐andpop’
book store in every place he visited. One could say he helped some stores fight the “Amazonification”
of book sales. John and Sonja travelled extensively, including extended tours of China
and Europe. They frequently took the train to NYC to visit their favorite restaurants in Manhattan
and enjoyed going to Broadway shows.
One of his favorite personal studies was Mysticism – he loved to learn about different people and
alternative beliefs and was a life‐long practitioner of transcendental meditation. He was
fascinated by the African diasporic religions such as Santeria and Voodoo. He once even snuck
into an actual Voodoo ceremony and got called out by the priestess!
Some of these interests may surprise some people, but what everyone knew about John was his
love for fishing. He could be found off the coast of Acapulco catching sailfish; off the Alaskan
coast hauling in a 200 lb halibut; fly‐fishing among the Grizzly bears in the swollen rivers of
Montana; out on the salt flats of Florida hunting the elusive tarpon; or surf casting for blues and
stripers on Nantucket. In some ways he was equally happy fishing any small backyard stream for
trout. He loved fishing and made countless friends that shared his love for the sport. He was
always searching for the “Big One”.
John loved his family and worked tirelessly his whole life to provide for their prosperity and
success. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Sonja, and his four children, John of Poughkeepsie
NY, Kenneth & his wife Kimberly of Hadley MA, Jerrold of Brighton MI, and Laura who resides in
Grand Cayman. He is also survived by his grandson Jack, sister Miriam of Lanham, MD, Sister‐in‐
Law Wanda of Rancho Palo Verdes CA and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. He was
predeceased by his brother, Lawrence R. Carter.
Funeral and burial arrangements are being handled by William G. Miller & Son Funeral Home,
Inc., 371 Hooker Avenue, Poughkeepsie NY 12603. The family is planning a small graveside
ceremony to be followed by a celebration of his life later this year when travel and gatherings
are no longer a danger. In lieu of flowers the family requests donation to the Alzheimer's
Association on behalf of Sonja Carter (www.alz.org).