NASHUA – John Carter, a longtime Nashua resident who was a prolific architect, died earlier this month at age 92.

Carter made his mark across the region, designing major projects such as the Nashua Public Library, the Daniel Webster College Library and Computer Center, Broad Street Elementary School and the Universalist-Unitarian White Wing School.

"He had a nice, long life, as I think he would be the first to say, and his heart was definitely in Nashua," said Stephen Carter, one of Carter’s six children.

Stephen Carter grew up in Nashua and now resides in Chicago.

John Carter’s many projects were produced by a series of architectural firms over the years.

"He enjoyed the process and worked with guys who had complimentary talents," Stephen Carter said.

Over the course of his career, John Carter worked at several firms, including John A. Carter Architect; Carter & Woodruff; Carter, Woodruff & Cheever; and John. A. Carter Architect, PA.

"He did everything from small medical offices on up," Stephen Carter said, adding he particularly enjoyed working on the Eaglebrook School in Massachusetts.

What really struck Stephen Carter about his father was his sense of commitment to his town, a value handed down by his own father, Eliot Carter.

"Eliot had a real sense of being a steward in your community," Stephen Carter said. "You have to look after your town. My father really inherited that."

To that end, John Carter helped to found the Nashua Art and Science Center and served for years on the Daniel Webster Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

"While the Nashua Art and Science Center did not survive long term, my father felt Nashua needed more art and culture … and education outside the classroom," Stephen Carter said.

An avid admirer of the Currier Museum in Manchester, Carter said his father wanted the Nashua School District to build a closer relationship with the museum.

"I think my dad was hoping to get more student traffic up to the Currier," Stephen Carter said. "It’s a really outstanding museum."

John Carter, a resident of the Hunt Community, died Jan. 11 in West Palm Beach, Fla.

"He spent his whole life in Nashua," Stephen Carter said. "He was a member of the ‘Greatest Generation.’ He had friends who died in the war, and he fought in the war. There was really a strong feeling of service to your community then that I feel has been lost.

"Men like my father and grandfather really thought, ‘How can I make my city better?’ He has that sense of social obligation, that you need to be involved in community projects to make your town shine, to make it better."

John Carter graduated from Phillips Academy Andover in 1942 and attended Yale University. His studies were interrupted by serving in the U.S. Army in World War II, according to an obituary shared by Stephen Carter.

John Carter was a private first class in the Eighth Armored Division that participated in the Battle of the Bulge. Carter graduated from the Yale Architecture School in 1950 and later started his own architectural firm.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Julie, and six children: Stephen Carter, Cocoa Carter-Root, Julie Carter, Robin Carter, Christina Carter and Perry Carter-Brooks.

Carter was associated with architect Bliss Woodruff, working together for years through different firms.

"Carter & Woodruff" designed a long list of buildings for prep schools, colleges and churches throughout New Hampshire and Massachusetts, earning many awards.

"He loved his town, and he wanted to make it better place," Stephen Carter said. "He really lived a rich, full life."

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