Title: Jeptha J. Carrell Papers, 1954-2003

ID: RG 30/251

Extent: 4.36 Linear Feet

Jeptha J. Carrell (1923-2007) was a resident of Oberlin, Ohio, from 1979 through his death. He was born in Texas and raised in Philadelphia. After attending Swarthmore College and graduating from Franklin and Marshall College, Carrell was commissioned by the Marine Corps in 1944. During World War II, he served in such active sites as Pavuvu, Russell Islands, near Guadalcanal, in Okinawa in April 1945, and in China in 1945 and 1946.

After the war, Carrell's first job was as assistant dean of men and junior varsity baseball and freshman soccer coach at Swarthmore College. He simultaneously attended graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania, from which he earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. (1953) in public administration. He was recalled by the Marine Corps during the Korean War to work as an officer drill instructor at Parris Island, South Carolina, before being transferred to Kodiak, Alaska, where he completed his dissertation. He retired with the rank of captain.

His first job in municipal service was in Montgomery County, Maryland. He began as administrative assistant to the director of public works, and then became clerk to the county council and administrative assistant to the county manager. In his third year, Carrell was the acting county manager until he was appointed city manager of Xenia, Ohio. Subsequently, Carrell worked as director of training at the headquarters of the International City Managers' Association; in Kansas City for several years as a research associate with an academic and action research firm; in Dayton as director of Community Research, Inc., and as president of the Dayton-Miami Valley Consortium of Colleges and Universities. With the experience he gained in government and other leadership positions, Carrell published several books and articles on city management and government.

It was his career in city government and in non-profit work that attracted Eric and Evan Nord to name Carrell as the first full-time director of the Nordson Foundation (now The Nord Family Foundation) in Lorain County, Ohio. He held this last position from 1979 until retirement in 1989. For the period of 1981 through 1986 he had additional duties as director of The Community Foundation of Greater Lorain County.

Carrell was proud of several initiatives—including the creation of The Community Foundation, The County Cupboard, the Oberlin Co-op Cable Television Company, and Leadership Lorain County—he began under the auspices of the Nordson Foundation. Through his work at the Community Foundation, he established an African-American Fund and Hispanic Fund. The County Cupboard (now Second Harvest) distributes food to the unemployed of Lorain County, and the Oberlin Co-op Cable Television Company is the only non-profit co-operative cable system in the United States. Leadership Lorain County trains approximately 30 people a year to become more effective community leaders. He was also involved in developing and supporting several educational programs, including the Access Program (Lorain County Access to Higher Education). Carrell was also a board member of the Urban League, Shansi Foundation and the Oberlin Heritage Center.

In November of 1989, The Cleveland Foundation and its supporting organization, The McDonald Fund, recruited Carrell to serve as a consultant to study the Cleveland Small Business Incubator. The incubator's effectiveness at encouraging small business development particularly in the minority community of Collinwood was, at that time, under question. Carrell's study sought to propose options for the CSBI's future. Carrell completed his final report to The Cleveland Foundation in January 1990.

His special talent as an unassuming administrator-leader led Carrell to remain active throughout his retirement. He was an active member of the Society of Friends, and as president of the Kendal at Oberlin Community Board (later known as Kendal at Oberlin), he contributed to planning the Society of Friends' continuing care retirement center from its inception in 1987 through 1991, and continued as a board member until January 1996. He was also a member of the Oberlin Community Improvement Corporation (O.C.I.C.), a not-for-profit agency for the city's industrial, commercial, distribution, and research development established in 1977. Carrell joined the board of trustees of the Oberlin Historical and Improvement Organization in 1990. Finally, he was a leading organizer for the development of a community swimming pool in Oberlin.

Carrell married Jean Demaris "Demmie" Affleck (b. 1926) in 1949; the couple had three children. In 1987, the Oberlin News-Tribune named Carrell "Oberlinian of the Year." He was also named to the League of Mentors of the Community Foundation of Lorain County, where the foundation established a fund in his name.

Carrell died on December 22, 2007 at Kendal at Oberlin. Survivors included his wife Jean Demaris “Demmie” Carrell, children Heather, Kim and Mark, as well as seven grandchildren.

Sources Consulted

Biographical File in Jeptha Carrell Papers contains:

“King Ore: Service in the United States Marine Corps in World War II,” by Jeptha Carrell, 30 July 1994.

Three photographs (one sheet), military service, n.d.

“Obituaries: Jeptha J. Carrell.” Oberlin News-Tribune 8 January 2008, p. 2.

“Obituaries: Jeptha Carrell,” The Plain Dealer, 25 January 2008, p. B7.

Subjects (links to similar collections)

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Administrative Information

Scope and Contents:

The Jeptha J. Carrell papers are divided into six subgroups: I. Oberlin Retirement Community (Kendal at Oberlin), II. Oberlin Community Improvement Corporation (O.C.I.C.), III. Cable Television, IV. Cleveland Small Business Incubator Study (CSBI), V. Ohio Historical Improvement Organization, and VI. Writings and Talks. Included are agendas, clippings, correspondence, minutes, notes, notebooks, reports, books, and financial, legal, and planning documents.

As the subgroup titles reveal, the Jeptha J. Carrell papers comprise records of his involvement with certain local organizations and projects. This collection, therefore, offers almost very little on his personal life, with the exception of his unpublished manuscript, King One: Service in the United State Marine Corps in World War II, found in VI. Writings and Talks, Series 1.

Files maintained by Kendal at Oberlin and the City of Oberlin will supplement this record.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Subgroup I. Oberlin Retirement Community (Kendal at Oberlin), 1985-1994 (1.4 l.f.)

The records of the Oberlin Retirement Community constitute half of the entire collection. The subgroup is arranged in five series: 1. Agendas, Minutes, and Related Materials, 2. Correspondence, 3. Project Files (Pre-Corporate and Corporate), 4. Admission and Recruitment Files, and 5. Miscellaneous Files. A fairly complete picture of the planning process of Kendal at Oberlin can be gleaned from this documentation.

Subgroup II. Oberlin Community Improvement Corporation (O.C.I.C.), 1966-1993 (0.8 l.f.)

The O.C.I.C. subgroup is organized in 12 series: 1. Agendas and Minutes, 2. Annual Reports/Audit Reports, 3. Agreements and Covenants, 4. Correspondence Files, 5. Committee Files, 6. Notebooks, 7. Planning Document Files, 8. Policy and Procedures File, 9. Printed Material, 10. Project Files, 11. Special Events File, and 12. Subject File. The agendas and minutes date from 1985 and 1992 only, providing inconsistent coverage of O.C.I.C. meetings. As a whole, the subgroup documents specific initiatives of the O.C.I.C. and their outcomes. While some legal papers from the 1960s are included in series 3, the bulk of the subgroup dates from 1985 to 1993.

Subgroup III. Cable Television, 1963-1994 (0.2 l.f.)

This subgroup is divided into two series: 1. Oberlin Cable Cooperative, and 2. Cable TV in Lorain County, OH. The first series includes some “historical,” or planning-stage information about the Oberlin Cable Co-op. Although Jeptha Carrell never served on any cable committees or boards, his idea for a cable co-op in Oberlin began the planning process in 1980. Oberlin voters approved the measure in 1983, planning and bidding continued through 1987, and installation occurred in 1988. Financial reports and summaries, and meeting minutes from the early 1990s are also included in series 1. This subgroup also includes information about efforts to improve cable television service and programming in Lorain County, Ohio.

Subgroup IV. Cleveland Small Business Incubator Study (CSBI), 1984-1990 (0.4 l.f.)

This subgroup has three series—1. Consultant's File, 2. Notebook, and 3. Resource Files Used in CSBI Study—and they document Carrell's work as a consultant for The Cleveland Foundation. Included are correspondence, a study plan, drafts and the final copy of Carrell's report, notes, and background information.

Subgroup V. Ohio Historical Improvement Organization, 1991-97 (1.2 I.f.)

Carrell was quite involved in the Ohio Historical Improvement Society (O.H.I.O.) and this subgroup contains the records of O.H.I.O. Included are the constitution and by-laws, board meeting and minutes, and more. Box 2 contains 18 folders on the Community Center. Other various materials, from fundraising to strategic plans to finances, can be found in the third box.

Subgroup VI. Writings and Talks, 1981, 1994, 2001, 2003 (0.3 l.f.)

This subgroup has three series: 1. Writings by Jeptha Carrell, 2. Talks by Jeptha Carrell and 3. Writings by Others (book). Series 1. includes several of Carrell’s professional writings, including several articles on city management and municipal administration. It also includes a work he published for his family concerning his service in WWII, King One. The second series features a copy of his remarks that he made at the opening of the new Nord Family Foundation Headquarters on June 19, 2003. The third series contains We Few: The Marine Corps 400 in the War Against Japan, a book that mentions Carrell.

Subgroup VII. Biographical Files, 1995, 2005, 2008 (late accretion) (0.06 l.f.)

The biographical materials were received as a late accretion and placed at the end of the collection. The series consists of clippings and memorial service materials (i.e., eulogy and audio CD of the memorial service).

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