Prime Living: Hap Carr stays busy with family peach-growing operation Titan Farms

Jul. 20—RIDGE SPRING — Chalmers R. "Hap" Carr Jr. retired for the first time in the early 1990s, wrapping up his Air Force career while holding the rank of brigadier general.

Three decades later, residents of the San Antonio and Charlotte areas can thank the Clemson resident for helping them avoid highway traffic jams from day to day, and millions of people throughout the eastern United States can thank him for helping bring prime fresh peaches to their grocery stores and restaurants.

"I stay busy," he confirmed. Carr's current title is "senior consultant," and his local base of operations is Titan Farms, in Ridge Spring, where he helps his son, Chalmers R. Carr III, with special projects, supporting a variety of initiatives at the largest peach-growing operation east of California.

"I handle special projects for my son," the 84-year-old veteran noted, recalling that the younger Carr came to Ridge Spring in 1995 as Titan's general manager and completed a purchase of the company in 2001-02.

"He came to me in 2000 and said, 'Dad, I'm taking over this farm, and I need you to come down here and help me run my pack house,' and so I was up for a little minor retirement," he recalled, noting that he stepped away from a job in which he helped the North Carolina Department of Transportation establish a traffic management system, using sensors and cameras to help drivers be aware of hazards ahead and decide which routes to choose and which to avoid. The technology, descended from aerospace systems, also came into play in support of highway travelers in central Texas, with Carr's help.

Back on the farm, Titan continued to "grow and grow and grow and grow and grow," and a variety of major modernization efforts were part of the package, including a plan to help reduce waste, as shown through about 17 million pounds of peaches that were previously discarded every year. The idea of freezing less-than-perfect peaches and turning them into puree was a success.

One of his strong points has been in facing "the challenges of working with people," he said.

Carr's roles varied and his primary duty now is to serve as a coach and mentor, he said. His priority for early 2022 was to help with strategic planning, with emphasis on looking ahead to consider prospects and priorities for the next five years.

"I retired from the Air Force in March of 1992, and in April of 1992, I went to work for Bendix Field Engineering, and I worked with them until 2000. I worked both jobs and came to work with my son, so I've not had any retirement. I've been working. Basically, I say I've never had any retirement. I stay busy."

He and his wife, the late Emma Jeannette Carr, moved to Clemson in 2005, and the family's senior statesman now travels between there and Ridge Spring throughout the year, to help Titan on its path as a huge player in South Carolina agriculture, including more than 6,000 acres dedicated to peach production.

Carr also shared some matrimonial memories, recalling the woman who met him in 1960, when he was "an ambulance driver awaiting pilot training school." They were married almost two years later, and the road ahead included "a 30-year Air Force career that withstood numerous assignments across the United States, including Alaska," as noted in an obituary. "His career also took them overseas for tours of duty in Thailand and Australia."

The widower noted, "Her forte was the Ridge Spring Farmers Market. She was a mainstay up there."

An obituary pointed out, "Since 2001, each Saturday morning faithful customers could find their friend, Jeannette, at the Ridge Spring Farmers Market beside a flat-bed trailer overflowing with her garden vegetables along with peaches, and other items grown at Titan Farms. She treasured the relationships garnered through selling fruits and vegetables regardless of where she was, and she was always 'Queen of the Market.'"

Her husband recalled, "It's been enjoyable. I've stayed busy. I like what I do. ... I moved to Clemson because I was involved with the Clemson Alumni Association and very active there."

Carr's roles also included work with the Clemson Corps — "alumni made up primarily of veterans that are dedicated to preserving Clemson's rich military heritage," he said.

Carr, who was born into a Navy family in Philadelphia and spent most of his formative years in Mooresville (suburban Charlotte), North Carolina, traveled across the U.S. for the first time before reaching his 3rd birthday.

He noted that his military decades came by way of a major surprise during his Pickens County years. A counselor informed Carr — to his complete surprise — that Clemson, at the time, still had a requirement for its students to participate in ROTC for at least two years.

"I'd already fallen in love with the school, and I got involved with the Air Force; and in my sophomore year, they came to me and said, 'If you physically qualify, would you be interested in going to pilot training?' I said, 'Sure.' So that's what I did."

More than 60 years later, he's still logging plenty of mileage, largely between Clemson and Ridge Spring, with such communities as Saluda, Due West, Hodges, Coronaca ("by the Fuji plant") and Anderson along the way — a trip involving two hours and 15 minutes, with no stops.

"I have a house down here ... I maintain two houses, but it's very easy. This morning, I got up, brushed my teeth, put a few things in a very light bag and got in the car and drove down here. I don't need anything when I get here."

He added, "I've enjoyed doing what I'm doing. Staying very active. That's the key."