Carroll wins Goodwin-Niering award

Richard H. Goodwin, the Katharine Blunt Emeritus Professor of Botany, with former student Allen Carroll '73.

How does a cartographer chart his course from his childhood in Indianapolis to Connecticut College and then National Geographic?

With photos, drawings, anecdotes, a bit of humor and — of course — maps.

Allen Carroll '73, chief cartographer and executive vice president of National Geographic Maps, told his story on campus Nov. 2 after receiving the Goodwin-Niering Center's Alumni Environmental Achievement Award. The award recognizes contributions to the environment in areas such as research, education, preservation, conservation and activism.

At CC, Carroll created a much-used map of the Arboretum; later he lived on the nature preserve of Professor Richard H. Goodwin and then was editor of CC:Connecticut College Magazine before moving to National Geographic.

Carroll leads the team that produces of National Geographic's massive Atlas of the World. He also oversees a prodigious number of online projects and publications that reach millions and shape their world view.

Carroll said his liberal arts education at CC was great preparation for his career. So was his childhood, including family car trips for which he was the navigator.

After his presentation, Carroll talked with students about their work and answered questions about his. Students are always surprised to realize how unpredictable a career path can be, said Glenn Dreyer '83, executive director of the Goodwin-Niering Center.

Self-trained in design, illustration, and cartography, Carroll was a human ecology major at CC.

Meet previous recipients of the Goodwin-Niering Alumni Environmental Achievement Award.