The family lived in Milford Ohio until Carruthers' father died suddenly and his mother moved the family back to her native Chicago As a child he enjoyed visiting Chicago museums libraries planetariums and was a member of the Chicago Rocket Society and various science clubs.

Carruthers attended the University of Illinois, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering in 1961. He also pursued his graduate work at the University of Illinois, earning his M.S. degree in nuclear engineering in 1961

1969 was the year he received a patent for his invention, electromagnetic radiation in short wavelengths, and in 1970, he made the first examination of molecular hydrogen in space.

Carruthers won the Arthur S Fleming Award in 1971, the Exceptional Achievement Scientific Award from NASA in 1972 the Warner Prize and the National Civil Service League Exceptional Achievement Award. 

Inventions and discoveriesCarruthers is considered the inventor of the first far-ultraviolet electrographic detector design that was robust enough to operate in space as the heart of an ultraviolet camera/spectrograph.

carruther died of heart  faliure in december 26, 2020

 designed and developed instruments used in many more space flight missions principal inventor of the Far Ultraviolet Camera Spectrograph that accompanied the Apollo 16 mission.