1920 was an important year; the League of Nations was formed, Women gained the right to vote and Joyce Carter was born. The proud East Cobb resident celebrated her 100th birthday with family and friends this past February.
Joyce was born February 22, 1920 in New Jersey where she lived until she graduated from high school. After leaving the convent school in New Jersey, she worked in New Jersey and New York through the late 1930s to early 1940s. In New York, she and a friend took a civil service exam. She passed (her friend didn’t), and Joyce got the job as a “weather observer.” She trained at LaGuardia Airport, then worked at Newark Airport. Her roommate, Martha, was the person who talked to pilots in the control tower, and was engaged to a navy sailor. Martha spoke to Cyrus (Cy) Carter when he was flying planes in.
During the war, Cy had flown supplies in C-47s between India and China over “The Hump”. He had finished that tour and was ferrying planes in the United States. In August 1944, Martha arranged a double date with Joyce and another pilot, Budney. She thought Budney was a dud and “chased Cy until he caught her.”
Joyce and Cy got married December 23, 1944. They were in New York City, and asked a policeman where they could get married. He directed them to The Little Church Around the Corner (which Joyce said was also used by celebrities at the time). There were only a few friends at the wedding. Cy was in the service for a little while after that. They moved to to Charlotte, NC, where they had four children: Alan, in May 1950; Sallie, in May 1952; Gene in December 1955; and, David in November 1961.
Cy was a salesman for the Carborundum Abrasives Company, and advanced to district sales manager. They moved to St. Louis, MO in 1962, then Dallas, TX in 1969, and finally to Marietta/East Cobb, in January 1975, leaving older kids in each city as they moved.
The Carters moved into Indian Hills with their youngest son, David. For many years Joyce has volunteered at Red Cross blood drives including ones at the Lockheed plant. She also worked as a poll manager for Cobb County during elections for several years. She was a block captain for the Indian Hills Civic Association, and served as treasurer.
She started taking golf lessons and initially played with the nine-hole group before joining the 18-hole group. She has played and volunteered with Indian Hills Womens Golf Association (IHWGA) ever since. Who needs a “Sunshine Chairman” when you have Joyce? If you’re lucky enough to be in her foursome or carpool, she brings you a snack. She has filled many “goodie bags” for every player in most of the golf tournaments. She has a generous heart of giving and visiting. Just knowing that Joyce is thinking about you and cares, means so much. Joyce still golfs every Tuesday. If she doesn’t finish all 18 holes, she will still ride along and will always be there for lunch with the group. Joyce also played every season and served as a board member with the River North Women’s Golf Association, where she is now an honorary member. An “Indian Hills” bowling league was started when Joyce was 92, and she was, and still is, one of the best bowlers, bowling a high score of 148, but still having many games in the 130s.
If you ask Joyce what her secret is, she will tell you that her friends at Indian Hills Country Club and her family are what keep her going. She is an inspiration to all who know her. Her friends look forward to having many more rounds of golf with Joyce, and watching her bowl those spares and strikes. Her favorite color is purple, so her birthday guests wore that color in celebration of her 100th birthday.
The EAST COBBER wishes Joyce a very happy 100th Birthday.
