Article: Charles 'Al' Carter: [ Age 86 ] The 'Shoeshine King' operated his stand for nearly 40 years, counting celebrities and athletes as his clients.

Byline: Frederick N. Rasmussen

Aug. 17--Charles Alton "Al" Carter, who was better known as the "Shoeshine King" because of the high-buffed spit shine he delivered to customers for nearly 40 years from his bootblack stand in the old Hamburger's department store, died of a bacterial infection Aug. 10 at the Augsburg Lutheran Home and Village. He was 86.

Mr. Carter was born and raised in Dinwiddie County, Va., the son of a sharecropper.

"Al wasn't ashamed of his humble and poor beginning. His mother died when he was very young, and he and his brothers were raised by their father, Samuel Carter," said Frances Keene, a cousin who lives in Baltimore. ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!