Edward J. Carpenter, Jr. taught at Chelmsford HIgh School for thirty-eight years beginning his brilliant career in September of 1963 and retiring in June of 2001 .

Mr. Carpenter was truly beloved by his students and colleagues, and the senior Class of 2001 demonstrated their appreciation for this gifted educator by dedicating their yearbook to him. At the dedication ceremony Mr. Carpenter was truly humbled by this recognition for he firmly believed he received more from his students than he had ever given to them. This was one of the rare beliefs he held which was not true.

Mr. Carpenter was a dedicated, caring, compassionate, and thoughtful person whose selfless traits enhanced not only his students’ education but more importantly their lives. He gently guided his students to fully understand their potentials as learners and especially as people. His dry sense of humor was often on displayed during discussions of literature with his classes, and his students looked forward to the weekly announcements of Wednesdays as “the peak of the week” and Fridays as “the end of the snail's’ tail.”

Students are excellent detectors of those who sincerely care for them and those who pretend to care for them. All of Mr. Carpenter’s students knew he was a teacher who cared for them first as individuals and secondly as students. Mr. Carpenter was known for his boundless generosity and compassion. He was also one of the last of the great letter writers. His neat perfect handwriting on notes and letters lead one faculty member’s young daughter to refer to him as “Mr. Typewriter,” but beyond the neat penmanship the words of sympathy, congratulations, or encouragement illustrated his concern and love for all those he knew. People who received these notes have held on to them for even though he is no longer with us, his words, his compassion, and his presence are still with everyone who was fortunate to have known, to have worked with, or to have learned from this wonderful educator and man.

Mr. Carpenter was not a great educator because of the education he received, rather he was a successful and beloved educator because he always intuitively knew what was best for each of his students as individuals and as learners. Mr. Edward D. Carpenter, Jr. was a gifted, talented, hard working, compassionate, enthusiastic teacher who was truly, in every sense of the word: a gentle-man.

As stated in the yearbook dedication of the Class of 1997, “Mr. Carpenter has dedicated himself to us, so we students are honored to dedicate this yearbook to him. He is a gentleman in the truest sense of the word.”