Finances were such that Carl would have to take a job with the local Sears Roebuck store, a position he held for two years until he had saved up enough money to afford collegiate tuition.
One of his most influential professors was the famed Aldo Leopold, who passed along a deep appreciation for the land and a sense of conservationism.
He led his crew of 8 - some of whom were to become his friends for life - to win the prestigious Eastern Sprints in 1946, the same year he was named All-American.
To supplement income for his family, Holtz took up a job as a Rural Letter Carrier in the area, servicing the villages and towns of Mukwonago, Vernon, Caldwell, and North Prairie.
Carl Holtz died, quietly, from complications due to Alzheimer's disease early in the morning of July 8, 2006.