Tennyson Alston-Glade McCarty, 32, of Boulder, Colorado, passed away the week of October 15th, 2007. The cause of death is undetermined.
Tennyson was born in Boulder, Colorado on August 15, 1975 to Dr. Cleveland McCarty and the late Jacquelyn Wedler McCarty.
Tennyson lived a life filled with honors and accolades.
From the very beginning, Tennyson was an active mountaineer and athlete. He was a Boulder Mountain Parks Junior Ranger for 2 years, where a love for the mountains, hiking, and Boulder grew tremendously and continued throughout his life. As a boy, he excelled at soccer, tennis, lacrosse, baseball and football and developed a reputation for athletic prowess.
As a high school student, Tennyson maintained a 3.8 GPA while lettering as a three-year varsity football player at Boulder High School. He was honored as the Colorado Defensive Player of the Year during his senior year, which included dominating performances: one in which Tennyson had 6 sacks in a single game. He was also named the most valuable player of the State Championship football game which Boulder High School won in 1992, Tennyson’s senior year.
Tennyson received a football scholarship from the University of Colorado in 1993 and lettered each of his four years playing for head coaches Bill McCartney and Rick Neuheisel. He caught 37 passes for 311 yards and one touchdown in 42 career games. He is most often recognized for his catch from John Hessler to beat Texas A&M in 1995. His teammates remember him as a tireless warrior and compassionate friend.
In addition, Tennyson maintained a 3.7 GPA as a Buffalo and graduated from CU in 1998 with a degree in Kinesiology. He was named first-team Academic All-Big Eight in 1994 and 1995, and first-team Academic All-Big 12 in 1996 and 1997.
Overshadowing his amazing academic and football career, Tennyson’s true passion in life was Jesus Christ. His faith was an encouragement to everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.
It was as a young child attending a Billy Graham Crusade at Mile High Stadium that Tennyson first experienced that passion. At a Student Venture-sponsored Andre Kole magic event years later, Tennyson made Jesus the Lord of his life.
After graduating from the University of Colorado in 1997, Tennyson decided to pursue vocational ministry. He completed his master’s degree in Global Arts and Leadership from Fuller Seminary and moved to Austin, Texas to begin his ministry career. Tennyson helped birth campus ministries at the University of Texas, Texas State University, Texas A&M, and the University of Colorado. His colleagues fondly remember how he helped advance ministry efforts on over 300 college and high school campuses in New Zealand, Australia, Haiti, Asia and the United States.
Known throughout the country for his talent and skill with magic and illusion, Tennyson helped form MAZE Ministries in 2000. MAZE, a national traveling ministry, used the art of magic to share the gospel message of Jesus Christ. MAZE toured with Ron Luce’s “Acquire the Fire” in 2006-2007 allowing Tennyson to proudly share his faith with over 175,000 high school students in 40 cities across the country. In 2007, MAZE partnered with Campus Crusade for Christ to help bring that message to college students throughout America.
Superseding the myriad of accolades and honors, Tennyson will be remembered most by those who knew him best as the man who made a difference in the lives of others wherever he went. Whether at family functions, ministry outreaches, or the local Boulder Dairy Queen, Tennyson had an impact on the world around him. His 6-foot-4 inch, 240 pound frame housed a Christ-like tenderness and selflessness that can never be duplicated. His life was a testimony of what happens to a human being when completely surrendered to the Living God. Tennyson’s life in a word was “others”.
Tennyson is survived by his father Dr. Cleveland McCarty of Boulder, CO, brothers Dr. Eric McCarty, Conrad McCarty, and Somerset McCarty of Boulder, CO, brother Chance McCarty of Longmont, CO, sister April McCarty Shores of Arlington, VA, brother-in-law Ryan Shores of Arlington, VA, sisters-in-law Miriam and Kathy McCarty of Boulder, CO, nieces Madeleine, Shannon and Kelly McCarty of Boulder, CO, niece Jacquelyn Shores of Arlington, VA, nephews Chase, Cleveland, and Torrance McCarty of Boulder, CO, nephews Ashby and Luke Shores of Arlington, VA, aunt Ann McCarty of Denver, CO, aunt Suzanne Standley and uncle Randy and aunt Barbara Wedler of St. Louis, MO, and many other living cousins throughout the country.
A memorial for Tennyson will be held on the CU-Boulder campus at Macky Auditorium November 4, 2007 at 1 p.m. In keeping with Tennyson’s desire to serve, encourage, and provide youth with a positive perspective, a scholarship fund in Tennyson’s name has been created to recognize outstanding academic, athletic, and public service achievements for a graduating senior from Boulder High School. Donations may be sent to: Tennyson McCarty Scholarship Fund, Boulder High School, 1604 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder, CO, 80302, Attention: School Principal. A website honoring Tennyson can be viewed at www.tennysonmccarty.com.
