Marion Carlos Cartlidge

Marion Carlos Cartlidge1917-1967

Carlos Cartlidge...educator, altruist, student, traveler...was born in 1917 on a farm near Kirkland, Texas. He graduated from high school with honors, entered Hardin-Simmons University on a football scholarship, and transferred to West Texas State. While employed on a Texas cattle ranch he met Minnie Mae Dalmont, "the boss' daughter". They married in 1942 and had two sons, Carlos III and Kenneth.

In 1942 Carlos enlisted in the US Cavalry, transferred to a field artillery unit when the cavalry was disbanded, and landed in Normandy on D-Day + 2. He was awarded the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star medal.

Carlos recieved a BS in Animal Husbandry from Colorado State University in 1947. He began his professional career as instructor of vocational agriculture at Tulare High School in 1948, where he was instrumental in expanding the Vo-Ag Department and in developing the school farm. His dairy cattle judging team swept the state, the national FFA finals at Waterloo, and the International Dairy Show at Indianapolis in 1950.

Carlos joined the UC Agricultural Extension Service in 1951 as Farm Advisor in Kern County. He attended UC Davis and received an MS in Agricultural Education in 1957. His success with dairy programs brought requests from Los Angeles County dairy groups that he be transfered there in 1958. Following a year of advanced study in Animal Science at the University of Maryland, he was transferred to Tulare County in 1962 as Dairy Farm Advisor. He distinguished himself in Extension work with his practical attitude, his knowledge, and his willingness to help dairymen. He was a leader in Dairy Herd Improvement Association programs and contributed greatly to the advancement of electronic data processing of DHIA records, dairy cattle fertility, and dairy business management.

Widely travelled, Carlos visited forty-nine of the fifty states, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Canada, as well as wartime Europe. His ethics, dedication to public service, and genuine respect for others served him well as a teacher and leader in his Extension career.