The Carter Family
Rod Carter graduating with his parents in 1962
When Rod Carter (BSc Civil Engineering, 1962) was accepted to study civil engineering at Birmingham, he was the first in his extended family ever to go to university.
But this started a new family tradition that saw his grandson Josh Carter (BSc Economics with a year abroad, 2026) graduate in the summer of 2026 and become the third generation of University of Birmingham alumni.
Sara Shepherd (née Carter) with her dad, Rod Carter, and mum
Rod’s daughter Sara Shepherd (née Carter) (BA English, 1989), Josh’s aunt, had also graduated from Birmingham 37 years before. She started a career in journalism then moved into local government communications.
She says, ‘I thought I wanted to go somewhere different to Dad, but at interview the friendly-feeling campus and a great conversation with my future tutor totally changed my mind. I loved my time there, learning from some inspirational people including classes in Stratford from Shakespearean scholar Sir Stanley Wells. The social life was great too and Josh took me back to some of my old haunts, as well as the marvellous new library and other facilities, when I visited him during his time there.’
Born during the Second World War and winning a place at grammar school, Rod had first chosen Birmingham University in the 1950s as he thought it was the best place to develop his passion for building design. He says: ‘I felt at the time it was an industrial area and engineering was a large part of it and it was an ideal place to learn be to be a civil engineer.’
His degree led to a career in construction and then in local government and at the Commission for the New Towns. At 86 he keeps his engineering brain active doing the occasional structural calculation for local builders.
Josh Shepherd on his graduation day, with mum, Sara Shepherd, and dad.
Rod’s higher education choice had another impact on his future family, as it was at a dance there that he met his future wife Christine, who worked at the University. She was supporting the team leading on building the Vale. Rod was in what was then called ‘digs’ during his time at university, but Sara lived in the old Mason Hall in her first year and Josh lived in the new Mason Hall in his. Birmingham also gave Josh the ‘amazing experience’ of studying economics in Munich for a year.
Josh says, ‘I loved being on the Vale and all my time in Birmingham and Munich and became a student ambassador for the College of Social Sciences in my final year.’
After travelling in South America with university housemates after graduation, Josh has just been offered his first job in finance.