JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Alvin “Pete” Carpenter, CSX Transportation president and CEO from 1992 to 1999, has died at age 77.
The Florida Times-Union reports that Carpenter, who had been suffering from cancer, died on Aug. 20.
Carpenter was vice chairman of the railroad’s parent company, CSX Corp., until his retirement in 2001. He began a 38-year career in railroading as a brakeman for the Louisville& Nashville Railroad. A native of Berea, Ky., he graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in political science, served on two organizations for Florida Gov. Jeb Bush — the Commission on Workers’ Compensation Reform and the Advisory Council on Base Realignment and Closure — and served on a number of corporate boards, as well as the board of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. He was chairman of the orchestra board in 2002-03.
Mike Tolbert, CSX public relations director under Carpenter, told the Times-Union that Carpenter “was a button-down corporate-driven leader, but he also had a soul and a very big heart and he gave much more than he received. … He was brilliant, he knew what he was doing and people respected him.”
Carpenter is survived by his wife, a daughter, and three grandchildren.
Pete was a decent, personable guy, direct and to the point — would tell anyone exactly what he thought, especially when his ego was offended. Could handle any adverse situation, but it wasn’t with malice. Very big on coal, which was a huge part of his railroad background (understood the Appalachian ethos, which many officers imported from outland areas didn’t)..Pretty much of a caretaker type; downsized the excessive office car fleet during his tenure..
When I was CSX Resident VP-WV, I had the pleasure of being in many situations and working on many projects for and with him. We once toured Massey’s Pier 9, Dominion Terminals and Norfolk International Terminal together.
His dad was an L&N flat foot (detective for all you millennials). Pete was assigned to and around Huntington many times when the city was C&O Operating Headquarters, then C&O-B&O Mechanical & Engineering headquarters.
He once told me an amusing anecdote about when he was a young assistant trainmaster on the Big Sandy.
Along with the engineer and head brakemen, they were bringing a coal drag west to Russell. In the course of the conversations, the hogger was pouring equal amounts of coffee into three paper Dixie cups from a big thermos. Twice he did this and they got to discussing labor issues.
When asked if he would cross a picket line and run in a strike, Pete replied, “I’d have to take the company position.”
On the third pour, only two cups were set upon the engineer’s control stand and one was offered to the brakeman and the engineer downed the other.
“Where’s mine?,” Carpenter queried.
“I ain’t supplying coffee to no damn scab!,” the engineer teasingly retorted.