Reflections Magazine Issue #68 - Fall 2008 | Page 15

Feature Article

Being a nontraditional student who had not taken
a college course in nearly 20 years, Carr had to
talk his way into Siena Heights.
“They told me they were not going to accept me
because I didn’t have the mechanical engineering
qualifications,”said Carr, remembering his conversation with Siena’s then-admissions director,
Sister Mary Alice Brown. “She said I didn’t have all
the subjects to apply at Siena. I just sat there and
smiled. And finally I said, ‘I can do it.’ She said,
‘OK, we’ll give you a chance.’”
That was all he needed to hear. Taking night classes and driving approximately 40 miles one way
from Hillsdale to Adrian, Carr earned his bachelor’s of science degree in mechanical engineering
from Siena Heights in 1975.
“They did not have the appliances they have today
for those who are visually impaired,”Carr said of
his time at Siena Heights. “The only way I could
do it is read through my (magnifying) glass to
study. If a professor gave the class an hour’s worth
of reading, it took me four hours. You can imagine what it was like to make and meet the deadlines that were given to me.”
With bachelor’s degree in hand, Carr thought
it would change his career path. It did, but not
in the direction he thought. In 1980, Carr felt a
call to become a pastor in the United Methodist
Church. Despite having no undergraduate coursework in theology, Carr was accepted into theological school. Not surprisingly, he completed the
Below: Bill Carr, who is legally blind, shows a special magnification
tool he uses to read and view documents on his computer monitor.

four-year master’s program in three years with
a 3.2 grade-point average. But Carr still faced
resistance from the committee, who had the final
vote on whether he would be accepted as a pastor
in the United Methodist Church.

Below: Carr, a retired Methodist minister living in Allegan, Mich.,
earned his bachelor’s of science degree in mechanical engineering from
Siena in 1975 while working as a city manager in Hillsdale, Mich.

A 25-pastor committee voted unanimously to
accept Carr, but he later found out how he earned
their votes.
“They began to discuss among themselves why
they voted yes, and almost every one of them said,
‘I felt sorry for him, and I didn’t want to have everybody say no, so I said yes.’”Carr said, smiling.
“That’s the hand of the Lord working with me.”

“If a professor gave the class an
hour’s worth of reading, it took me
four hours. You can imagine what
it was like to make and meet the
deadlines that were given to me.”
He spent the next 25 years pastoring in the
church’s West Michigan Conference before recently
retiring to Allegan, Mich. He still teaches Bible
study classes and offers his services as a counselor
and motivational speaker from time to time.
Carr is also writing a book about his life titled,
“Where in Hell is Heaven?”which will be finished
in two years.

“It’s a connection of someone who goes through
a lot of hard times in their life and says ‘there is
no God,’”Carr said. “But my last chapter shows
that there is a God.”
In his younger days, Carr traveled the country,
using his engineering skills to build flood control
dams in places like Hawaii. He is also an accomplished artist, and designed and built the home
where he and his wife currently reside.
“For having nothing, we have a lot,”said Carr’s
wife, Carolyn, a Roman Catholic who attends
Mass Saturday evenings so she can support her
husband on Sunday morning.
Showing no signs of slowing down, Carr carries
a 185 average in bowling, and competes each year
in several bicycle races, including a 100-mile ride
in Holland, Mich. He drove a car up until five
years ago, before doctors officials diagnosed
him as legally blind.
Ever the motivator, he hopes his story will inspire
others to continue their education.
“I hope my story can give a teacher or professor
some hope that students will succeed,”Carr said.
“I know there’s a lot of professors and teachers
who wonder about their students. I know, because
I was one of them. They didn’t know if they were
qualified or would make it, but I did.”
“When I counsel somebody, I tell them ... do not
be afraid to shoot for the moon,”he continued.
“If you make that your goal, then you have to
become one of the most stubborn people in the
world. Let nothing change your mind. ... When
people tell me I can’t do it, it’s the wrong thing
to say. ... I didn’t find a way. I was given a way.
That’s how you have to look at things.” u

Reflections Fall ’08

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