Alice Mortenson (’62 BS History), who created the Alice D. Mortenson/Petrovich Chair in Russian History

From North Carolina Farm Boy to Corporate Executive

Carlton L. Highsmith grew up on his grandfather’s farm in a small farming community in North Carolina where they grew corn, cucumbers, soybeans and tobacco. Carl attended all-black elementary, middle and secondary schools, even though schools had been desegregated. He learned early on that education would be his ticket up the socioeconomic ladder so he applied himself, earned high marks throughout elementary and secondary schools and was accepted at UW-Madison. “After some soul-searching,” Carl chose Wisconsin, sight unseen.

He found comfort in the fact that Wisconsin was a rural state and he could relate to the unpretentious homegrown student body. “So it wasn’t the monster adjustment. But it was different from where I grew up.

“I chose UW-Madison primarily because of the school’s reputation and because of the financial aid package that was offered—a combination of scholarships, grant-in-aid, loans and work study.

“I will be eternally grateful to UW-Madison for the generous support that it provided to me over 35 years ago. I would not have been able to afford to attend the University were it not for that generous support. I continue to feel strongly that higher education, especially for our minority students, is vital and necessary,” said Carl. “Any hope for a better life for themselves and their families is dependent upon their receiving the highest quality education possible. To the extent that my gift to the University will enable a few students of color to experience what I experienced at UW to have their eyes opened to the possibilities-I find enormously gratifying.”

Carl is the founder, president and CEO of Specialized Packaging Group Inc. The company is the largest minority-owned manufacturer of paperboard packaging in North America, with a workforce of 520 at 10 sites across the continent and annual revenues of $130 million.

Highsmith is proud of what he has accomplished. “What I have accomplished can be accomplished by many others. What I tell youngsters all the time is, ‘If a poor black kid from the rural, segregated South can achieve what I’ve achieved, you have endless possibilities with all the resources and people looking to help you.’”

The key to success for Carl was education. He graduated in 1973 from the UW–Madison with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He also attended Duke University’s Fuqua Graduate School of Business’s World Class Manufacturing and Customer Partnerships Executive Program; Juran Quality Institute’s Juran on Quality Program; Dartmouth College’s Tuck Graduate School of Business’s Global Leaders and Advanced Business Management Executive Training Program.

Carlton and his wife, Letamarie, live in Middlebury, Connecticut, and have two daughters, Alexis, a graduate of Duke University and the University of Wisconsin Law School, and Jennifer, a graduate of Northwestern University, who is pursuing a master’s degree in teaching at Quinnipiac University.

Carl established the Carlton L. and Alexis Highsmith Chancellor’s Scholarship.
The fund was named to honor Carlton’s daughter Alexis who is a UW-Madison Law School graduate who had a “great experience” while at school. “It was a fitting tribute to her,” said Carl.