Mayor Thomas Brick renames Anderson street 'Carter Way' to honor Will J. Carter

Mayor Thomas Brick issued an executive order on behalf of Anderson City renaming the portion of 22nd Street that runs behind the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. statue to "Carter Way," honoring the late Will J. Carter and his family's decades of civic contributions. The proclamation was read aloud at a public dedication ceremony attended by city staff, first responders and members of the Carter family.

"Therefore, I, Thomas Brick, as the mayor of the city of Anderson, on behalf of the very grateful citizens of our community, hereby issue this official recognition and this proclamation and direct the renaming of this street beginning this date," Brick said as he read the text of the executive order.

The ceremony included a prayer and a remembrance delivered by Reverend Edward Fogs, who traced the Carter family's local history and described Will Carter as a businessman, mentor and philanthropist who donated the land where the MLK statue now stands. "When persons serve well and make a difference in the lives of others, their chief contribution is not merely their material achievements. Rather, it is their legacy," Reverend Fogs said.

Wendy Carter Hopkins, one of Will Carter's daughters, thanked the city and said the recognition was "monumental," acknowledging family members who traveled from out of state to attend. The mayor also thanked the parks and street departments for preparing the site and installing the new sign ahead of the dedication.

The text the mayor read lists Will J. Carter's business ventures, including Carter Electric of Indiana and later enterprises described in the proclamation as growing into what the proclamation calls "Carter Logest," and credits Carter with founding community programs such as the Carter Sawyer House of Hope, the Paramount Teen Center and a workforce and skills center later gifted to Anderson Community Schools. The proclamation also states that Carter's businesses at one point employed about 1,700 people and operated in multiple states and Mexico and that he hosted a radio program on WHBU.

Mayor Brick said the authority to rename the street derives from the mayor's executive powers under the Indiana code of ordinances, and he used that authority to enact the change during the ceremony. The proclamation names the renamed segment "Carter Way" and directs that the change take effect immediately.

The ceremony included a saxophone performance by Courtland Peters and several short family remarks, after which the mayor completed the reading of the proclamation. Officials did not announce additional municipal steps such as a city council vote or related budget actions during the ceremony; the renaming was issued as a mayoral executive order read on site.

The dedication marked an effort by the city to formalize local recognition of the Carter family's community work and the donation of land for the MLK memorial. The new street signs were displayed at the event.

Next steps for signage, mapping databases, or postal address updates were not specified during the ceremony.