Forty Under 40: Marcus Carruthers
by January 1, 2003 12:00 am 260 views
Former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating declared Feb. 28, 1995, to be Marcus Carruthers day in Oklahoma. The honor was a thank you for donated software and other philanthropic work the computer whiz did for that states educational system.
He wrote and donated software for needy schools in Wisconsin and founded LifeTech, a religious-based life skills computer program at the Washington County Juvenile Detention Center.
Most recently, the 34-year-old Oklahoma City native returned from a missionary trip to Africa where he is helping develop wireless hand-held devices that will run on fuel cells instead of electricity.
Carruthers got a bachelors degree in computer information systems from Grambling State University in 1991. He was systems administrator for the city of Rustin, La., from 1991-93 before joining ConAgra Foods information systems division in El Dorado.
Two years later he moved to Springdale to become a senior programming analyst for Tyson Foods Inc., and in 1996 he joined Wal-Mart Stores as online development manager. Carruthers helped start Sams Clubs Web site and was development manager for Wal-Mart.com. In 1998, Carruthers left the corporate world to join the ministry at 12,500-member First Baptist Church in Springdale.