Richardson Fire Department investigators are looking into the cause of a house fire which took the life of an 82-year-old man, a retired geoscientist at UT Dallas.
Dr. James Carter died in an early Saturday morning house fire in the 300 block of Fall Creek Drive. Firefighters received the call shortly after 5 a.m. The two-story home was engulfed in flames.
Firefighters were able to get the fire under control within an hour of their arrival. They believe Carter was alone at the time of the fire. The cause is still under investigation.
Carter came to UTD as a senior researcher from Rice University in 1964, according to this article on UTD's website. Under his leadership, the Graduate Research Center of the Southwest (GRCSW) and Southwest Center for Advanced Studies (SCAS) grew into what they are today.
One of his biggest discoveries through the university is the ten articulated cervical vertebrae of the largest sauropod, Alamosaurus, found in Big Bend. It's currently on display at the Perot Museum. He retired from the university in 2007.
"I’m a rather curious soul and everything intrigues me about science, math—and many other things," Carter is quoted saying in the above UTD article. "Keep searching for the truth. Never give up. Never quit.”
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