Dear Faculty, Students, and Staff,
I am writing with the sad news that Professor of Art History Emeritus Rand Carter died on Thursday at his home. Visitation is planned for this Friday, June 20, from 11 a.m. to noon in the Chapel. A funeral service will follow.
Rand joined the faculty in 1970 and taught full time at Hamilton for 47 years until his retirement in 2017. He received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University, and his M.F.A. and Ph.D. from Princeton University. His interests included European art of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries; neoclassicism; the history of furniture; environmental and ecological implications of architectural design; and urban planning.
Rand’s colleagues described him as “an outspoken and articulate advocate of the arts at Hamilton College,” with a “high calibre” publication record, and recognition as “one of the leading experts on the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel.” Another colleague said he was “a demanding teacher, deeply concerned with the process of learning. … Every aspect of his teaching … conforms to his view that a liberal arts education should be based on thoughtfulness, exactness, and breadth of learning. … I know that my teaching is better as a result of having worked with him.”
Following his retirement, a number of former students — from the Class of 1971 through the Class of 2015 – organized an event to honor their somewhat eccentricities-filled teacher, mentor, and friend. Michael Shapiro ’71, the former director of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, summarized Rand’s impact on his students: “[O]nly at a small college could many warm personal relationships over many years be nurtured with a professor.”
Rand was also keenly interested in historic preservation, and he contributed his knowledge and expertise to the preservation of Hamilton’s campus and landscape, and locally with the Landmarks Society of Greater Utica, for which he served as president and was presented with a Distinguished Service/Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. The citation recognizing his service read, in part, “Rand is a passionate advocate for heritage structures and sites, who promoted responsible historic preservation practices well before it was fashionable. His knowledge and guidance have helped many historic property owners to maintain their properties, thereby adding value to the quality of life for the city’s residents while protecting our irreplaceable buildings and districts.”
On behalf of the College, I extend Hamilton’s sympathies to Rand’s family, friends, and former students and colleagues.
Ngoni
Posted June 16, 2025
