Carter always cut impressive figure
Hall of Famer’s wife says wax likeness at Montreal museum is ‘impressive’
MONTREAL — Sandy Carter still remembers her first date with the man who would go on to win the hearts of Montreal baseball fans and become the first player inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., wearing an Expos cap.
Sandy was the homecoming queen at Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton, Calif., and Gary — a year younger — was the jock, playing baseball, football and basketball.
“He was so cute and he had personality-plus … real outgoing and talkative,” Sandy recalled. “It probably didn’t hurt that he was big man on campus. He had never had a girlfriend before, so I was his first.
“Before me he was all sports, so I guess I just captured his attention,” she added with a laugh.
As for that first date: “He called and he wanted to take me to a movie,” Sandy said, adding Carter had a part-time job at a gas station at the time and she had one as a waitress. “So guess where we went? To Denny’s. We had no money, we were just in love. We had a greasy patty melt and french fries and a chocolate shake and then we went to see Woodstock. I can’t believe I remember that ... I haven’t had anybody ask me about our first date.”
Four years later, they got married and it lasted 37 years until Carter’s death on Feb. 26, 2012 at age 57 after battling brain cancer.
One can only imagine the emotions going through Sandy on Tuesday when she got her first look at a life-size wax figure of her late husband, part of the City of Baseball exhibit that opens Wednesday and runs through Sept. 24 at Musee Grevin in the Eaton Centre on Ste-Catherine St. The figure was created by sculptor Stephane Barrett.
Sandy was joined by their three children — son DJ and daughters Christy and Kimmy — and Carter’s brother, Gordon. DJ, who is 32 and bears a striking resemblance to his dad, had tears when he first entered the exhibit, which includes photos, videos and memorabilia. Sandy said she was overwhelmed when she saw the wax figure.
“I just think it’s fantastic … it’s better than I ever thought, even though I kept seeing a few little pictures along the way,” she said. “They were trying to fine-tune it and it’s wonderful.
“The hair really gets me because that was so his hair. And then his eyes … because he had two different coloured eyes. One was hazel and one was brown. And his teeth … I tell you he had the most perfect teeth without ever having braces. He’s so good looking.”
The Expos selected Carter in the third round of the 1972 MLB draft when he was still in high school. Carter signed with the team and spent three seasons in the minors. After playing nine games with the Expos in 1974, Carter earned a fulltime spot the next year and spent 10 seasons with the team before being traded to the New York Mets, where he would win the World Series in 1986. After short stints with the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers, Carter returned to Montreal to play his final season in 1992 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.
Montreal remains a special place for the Carter family and the Hall of Fame catcher will always have a special place in the hearts of Expos fans.
Sandy’s message to them: “Thank you for keeping loving Gary and his history and our family. It just means the world to us. It really does.”