Aggie legacy lives on through quilt
Ray Cartee began a lasting legacy for his family in Cache Valley. He enrolled at USU for the master’s program in 1968, and he has remained here the 45 years since. He immediately began work as university staff upon graduation. Currently a professor of soil sciences, Cartee bleeds Aggie blue.
The Cartee family legacy extends to his wife, a long-time employee of the university, his daughter, Debbie Eskelson, who currently works at the NCHAM help desk, and her son, a student of USU. Aggie life has become their life, and the Cartee’s stand strong in their school pride.
As Homecoming approached, Eskelson began a project she believed would have special meaning for her father. She gathered USU T-shirts from her dad, friends, children, eBay and the local Deseret Industries to create a special quilt.
Initially, she intended the quilt to be a retirement gift, but Dr. Cartee is still going strong. He continues teaching and researching, and his daughter changed the occasion in support of his incessant Aggie pride.
Cartee received the gift with grace and smiles.
“He loved it,” Eskeldson said. “He refuses to take it outside to the football games, in case it gets wet.”
Eskelson said the sentimental value of the quilt far extended its worldly value for her father.
Eskelson, who has been quilting for 10 years, said the idea sparked her interest into enrolling in a T-shirt quilting class. The project lasted a couple weeks due to a schedule that allowed her to work on it only during the evening, and each of the T-shirts selected held significance for her father.
Eskelson said her children helped with the design, and her son and daughter-in-law helped with the sewing. The family legacy is held within the quilt, and the meaning of each piece is demonstrative of legacy and Aggie pride.
Carte is an avid sports fan. He has participated in and supported Aggie athletics for 45 years. He helped install the seating in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum as a USU student. The 2010-11 T-shirt with the “I Live for Gameday” slogan was an obvious choice.
The “Meet the Challenge” statue at 800 E. 1000 North also holds direct ties to the family. Mike Hamby, the sculptor, was a family friend of the Cartee’s, making a shirt with the phrase “Meet the Challenge” an excellent choice for the quilt.
“Aggie Bleed Blue” also held personal significance. Cartee joined forces with the Red Cross and acted as part of the drive. His support of USU over the years shows true Aggie spirit. The family also opted to include an old logo with the state of Utah, dating back to Cartee’s enrollment as a student.
As BYU entered Aggie territory, Cartee finally found occasion to brave the weather with his Utah State quilt.
45 years at Utah State, with three generations currently involved on campus, leaves Ray Cartee as a pioneer in Aggie pride. The quilt tells the story of a family legacy created at USU.