Carville Lauenstein, a versatile athlete who played both baseball and soccer, remains one of the top catchers of all-time at Towson. He lettered in both sports from 1937-1940 and served as captain of the baseball team.
Later Carville scouted for the New York Giants and San Francisco Giants. He managed several local baseball teams in Essex and Dundalk. He was inducted into the Maryland Oldtimers Baseball Association Hall of Fame in 2003.
An article in the Tower Light student newspaper recalled this interesting anecdote: “Hugh Trader of the Baltimore News Post saw the State Teachers College at Towson play one game, at Johns Hopkins. Towson’s star player was Carville “Whitey” Lauenstein, a catcher, but because of a sore arm, played first base that day, the only time in his career he played first. Whitey hit two home runs. Trader picked him to his All-Maryland Collegiate Baseball League’s second team as a first baseman when he was the best catcher in the state that year.”
In 1941 Carville enlisted in the Army. He spent more than four years in the South Pacific, serving at Leyte Gulf at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, earning the rank of major. He ended his military career as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves.
After the war Carville resumed his career in education, becoming vice principal of Parkville High School. Prior to retiring in 1979 he served as principal of the Colgate, Inverness and Bear Creek elementary schools. In 1980, then Governor Harry Hughes named him to a five-year term on Towson’s board of trustees. Carville passed away at age 84 in 2003.
