Virginia Carter (18 November 1936 – 17 October 2024) was a Canadian-born physicist and entertainment executive.
Life and career
editCarter was born in Arvida, Quebec on 18 November 1936.[1][2] She studied math and physics at McGill University and graduated magna cum laude in 1958. She then earned a master's degree from the University of Southern California. She was hired by the Douglas Aircraft Corporation in 1962. She then went to work for The Aerospace Corporation, where she was their sole female physicist. She stayed with Aerospace Corp. for nine years, conducting research on vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy and high atmospheric conditions.[1][3]
Carter was a spokesperson for the women's movement in the early 1970s and was president of the National Organization for Women's Los Angeles chapter. She stepped down from the position after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.[1] She also advocated for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.[3]
Carter met Frances Lear through their common activism in the feminist movement. She introduced Carter to her husband, television producer Norman Lear.[4] Starting in 1973, she became director of creative affairs for him at Embassy Television. She worked on the sitcoms Maude and All in the Family. In 1976 she was promoted to vice president for creative affairs.[3] Carter, a lesbian, frequently served as a liaison between Lear and gay rights activists who were concerned over material in his shows, such as his depiction of a same-sex couple in Hot l Baltimore.[2]
Carter started a film division at Tandem and was the executive producer for the 1981 film The Wave. The film, based on The Third Wave experiment, won Peabody and Emmy Awards.[1]
After Tandem was sold to Coca-Cola in the 1980s, Carter became president of J.O. Crystal, a firm that manufactures synthetic rubies. She retired from management of the firm in 2002. She also worked with the Population Media Center.[1]
Carter died in Redondo Beach, California on 17 October 2024, at the age of 87.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Dyer, Helen (Fall 2002). "From Aerospace to Archie Bunker: The Surprising Career of Virginia Carter". McGill News. McGill University.
- ^ a b c Barnes, Mike (October 29, 2024). "Virginia Carter, Norman Lear's Invaluable Adviser, Dies at 87". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ a b c "Virginia Carter Went From Aerospace Research To Working With Norman Lear". Lakeland Ledger. April 4, 1979.
- ^ Armstrong, Lois (May 9, 1977). "'all That Glitters' Is Sexist? Then How Come Its Honcho Is Named Virginia Carter?". People.
Further reading
edit- Virginia Carter, Veteran Feminists of America
- Alley, Robert S.; Brown, Irby B. (2001). "Virginia Carter". Women Television Producers: Transformation of the Male Medium. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press. pp. 79–97. ISBN 978-1-58046-045-3.
External links
edit- Portrait of Virginia Carter in her lab at Aerospace Corp. in California, 1972. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.