University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
The Messenger
Vol. 6, No. 1/1996
Recognition: A Special Report
R.R.M. Carpenter III: Portrait of 'the Consummate Volunteer'

     RR.M. (Ruly) Carpenter III was 3 years old in November 1943,
when his grandfather bought the Philadelphia Phillies baseball
team. As a boy of 10, he recalls, "I knew all the players by
name, and I was always thrilled to see home games at Connie Mack
Stadium."
     Ruly Carpenter was 32 when his father stepped down as team
president, leaving his son in charge. Eight years later, the
Phillies won the 1980 World Series Championship-the only such win
in the history of the franchise.
     Carpenter sold the Phillies to William Giles in 1981, but
sports are still a big part of his life. Today, he channels much
of his enthusiasm for athletics into countless volunteer projects
at the University of Delaware.
     "In today's economic climate, volunteers are critical to the
health of the University," notes Charles Forbes, vice president
of development and alumni relations. "Ruly Carpenter and his
family have done a great deal for the University and for the
state of Delaware. He truly is the consummate volunteer."
     Carpenter is a member of the Board of Trustees, serving as
chairman of the Committee on Student Life and Athletics. He also
was instrumental in raising private funds to help build the Bob
Carpenter Sports/Convocation Center, named in honor of his
father, the late R.R.M. (Bob) Carpenter Jr., a generous
benefactor who served as a board member for more than 40 years.
     Why does he devote so much time to the University? Carpenter
says he enjoys his interactions with other board members. "They're 
just good people," he says, "and they're fascinating." Also, he says,
"It's kind of a family tradition."
     Bob Carpenter Jr. was a "great supporter of the football
program," according to his son, and the elder Carpenter was
instrumental in establishing an annual charitable football game
in Delaware to benefit the developmentally disabled. Ruly's
mother, Mary Kaye Carpenter, also taught him the value of
volunteerism, by founding the Pilot School for children with
learning disabilities and by her involvement in numerous
charitable events.
     A graduate of Yale University who attended business
management and accounting courses at Delaware before shepherding
the Phillies to national prominence, Ruly Carpenter also is a
trustee of the Tower Hill School in Wilmington and he's on the
Board of Delaware's Ronald McDonald House.  His many volunteer
activities are supported by his wife, Stephanie (Conklin)
Carpenter, and by his three grown children:  R.R.M. (Bobby)
Carpenter IV, Delaware '86; David H.C. Carpenter, Delaware '90,
and Lucinda Cattermole.
     "Ruly's just a wonderful person," says Edgar N. Johnson, the
UD's director of intercollegiate athletics. "He's a caring,
concerned individual who recognizes the value of athletics as
part of a quality educational
program, and he never hesitates to support our objectives. Our
athletics program simply wouldn't be where it is today without
the support and guidance of the Carpenter family."
     University President David P. Roselle agrees. "All of us at
the University of Delaware are pleased that Ruly Carpenter is
maintaining the Carpenter family tradition of outstanding support
for this institution," he says. "We have no better friend than
Ruly Carpenter."
     Carpenter isn't planning to retire from volunteer service
anytime soon.  "When you're asked to become a trustee at an
institution like Delaware, it's really an honor and a privilege
to be able to serve," Carpenter says. "I'm going to do it as long
as they want me."