Medlin Carpenter

A longtime businessman and an active supporter of community causes, Medlin Carpenter owned and operated Carpenter Cleaners for many years. Known for his work with the Plainview Industrial Foundation, he was named Economic Developer of the Year in Texas in 1985, primarily for helping convince Sam Walton to locate a Wal-Mart distribution center in Plainview. He was among a group of businessmen who went to Bentonville, Arkansas earlier that year and met with Walton to present Plainview’s case. The result was a big boost for the local economy.

Born in 1913 in Wolfe City, Texas, Medlin Carpenter grew up in Floydada and Ralls and graduated from Ralls High School. He attended West Texas Teachers College (now West Texas A&M University), then returned to Ralls to start Carpenter Cleaners. He moved to Plano in 1950 and to Plainview in 1953.

In addition to his work with the Plainview Industrial Foundation, Carpenter served on the Plainview City Council for 18 years, a period during which the city enjoyed some of its greatest growth. He was also president of the South Plains Association of Governments and sat on its Caprock Loan Committee for 10 years.

He was a member of the Administrative Board of the First United Methodist Church, active in United Way, and president of the Plainview Cultural Council, the Rotary Club, and Meals on Wheels, which he helped found. He was a member of the boards of Hale County State Bank and the Plainview Symphony Orchestra. He was active in support of the Hale County Senior Citizens Center and in capital campaigns for Wayland Baptist University.

His oft-repeated mantra was “If you don’t leave a place better off than when you found it, you haven’t done your job.”