[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 112 (Friday, August 3, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8897-S8898]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN MEMORY OF PAUL R. CAREY

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I rise to draw the attention of the 
Senate to the recent passing of Paul R. Carey, an extraordinary public 
servant and New Yorker who died on June 14th at the age of 38 after a 
long battle with cancer.
  Paul Carey was a Commissioner of the United States Securities and 
Exchange Commission at the time of his death. Previously, he served in 
the Clinton White House as Special Assistant to the President for 
Legislative Affairs, and before that as Finance Director for the 
northeastern United States for the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign.
  Commissioner Carey was a scion of a great New York family whose 
patriarch is my friend and political hero, the distinguished former 
Governor of New York, Hugh L. Carey.
  The loss of Paul Carey at such an early age was a blow to the causes 
he fought for as an SEC Commissioner and White House official, and of 
course to his loving family and his literally thousands of friends, who 
mourned him at a mass of Christian burial at St. Patrick's Cathedral in 
New York on June 18th, and celebrated his life at a memorial service 
here in Washington on July 25th. Governor Carey and his family honored 
this Senator by asking me to participate in the memorial service, which 
was a wondrous event whose other celebrants included former SEC 
Chairman Arthur Levitt; Senator CLINTON; former President Clinton; 
Governor Carey; and an audience of hundreds of colleagues, Members of 
the Senate and the House of Representatives, and other loved ones.
  All of the remembrances shared at the memorial service were special 
and poignant, but none could have been more moving or inspiring than 
the remarks of Paul's father, Governor Carey. He told the uplifting 
story of the life of a truly gallant young man.
  I ask unanimous consent that excerpts of Governor Carey's remarkable 
statement be printed in the Record. And on behalf of the Senate, I 
extend our thoughts and prayers to the Carey family on the loss of 
their beloved Paul.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

         Excerpts From Remarks by Former Governor Hugh L. Carey

       This extended gathering of Paul's family, both the Carey 
     family and his extended family in public service, has been a 
     wonderful tribute to Paul. On behalf of our family, I would 
     like to thank Rev. Coughlin, President Clinton, Senators 
     Clinton and Schumer, Arthur Levitt, Jim Molloy, Mark 
     Patterson, Janet Howard and the many great friends who were 
     responsible for this day of remembrance--and it is, we feel, 
     a celebration, with no remorse, no regret.
       When he was about 3 years old, Paul showed signs of the 
     peripatetic propensity he would continue throughout his life. 
     After finding that he was wandering to the neighbors' houses 
     at all hours, his mother fastened a small cowbell to a soft 
     ribbon around his neck. So it became the custom in our house 
     to listen for the bell and to ask, ``where's Paul?''
       Over the years, Paul's whereabouts gave us some concern but 
     even greater satisfaction. When we took summer vacations, 
     while others took lessons in swimming and waterskiing, he 
     would accompany his mother to Camp Shelter Island, 
     volunteering with disabled teens and adults. Summer after 
     summer, he began to learn, and to show us, his great capacity 
     to help others.
       In 1973, Paul's mother--who was then waging her own battle 
     with the illness that was to take her the next spring, and 
     later Paul--was eager to see the family under one roof. She 
     decreed that the Congressional career had separated us too 
     often. By agreement, we decided to give up Congress for an 
     office that would give the family a home. So we committed, 
     against all odds, to the race for Governor of New York.
       It was in that 1974 campaign that Paul's appetite and zeal 
     for his avocation--campaigning--started to shine. He and his 
     11 brothers and sisters took to the road in a Winnebago, 
     bringing the Carey campaign message to county fairs all 
     summer long. And he never stopped reminding me that of the 62 
     counties in New York State, I carried all but the one I had 
     to canvass on my own after sending my children back to school 
     in the fall.
       Later, after his graduation from Colgate, Paul embarked on 
     a career in finance. I rejoiced in the thought that my 
     future comfort was assured by the prospect of a string of 
     successful IPO's. But after he faced his initial surgery 
     and the prospect of a life-threatening illness, he was 
     determined to pursue a life in public service. When he 
     told me he was offered a fundraising position in a 
     national campaign, I tried to steer him away, but 
     swallowed my initial advice when I saw his great 
     enthusiasm and success. Indeed, he did an outstanding job 
     in that role, as the northeast finance director for the 
     Clinton-Gore campaign in 1992, and President Clinton has 
     recounted for you how pivotal Paul's help was at a time 
     when it was needed most.
       And when that victory was won, Paul took his passion for 
     public service to the White House. There, he astounded 
     everyone but himself with his accomplishments at the command 
     center of the greatest country in the world. He mastered 
     legislative detail and created relationships on Capitol Hill 
     that would help his President and his administration achieve 
     the most sweeping fiscal reform and debt reduction package 
     since Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson.
       Then suddenly, one Christmas, his life was suddenly and 
     cataclysmically threatened by the returning disease. But, to 
     our family's lasting gratitude, the brilliant surgeon Dr. 
     Murray Brennan and the medical team at Memorial Sloan-
     Kettering Cancer Center saved Paul's life and gave him the 
     gift of time. And we will always be especially grateful to 
     Dr. Jim Dougherty, who cared for Paul for more than 5 years 
     since then and worked with him to battle each successive 
     phase of the illness while enabling Paul to live his life to 
     the fullest.
       I remember that critical time so clearly, not only because 
     we almost lost Paul that winter, but because I saw a strength 
     and determination in my son that I had never known. One 
     morning, after his surgery, when I visited his room and saw 
     that he was apparently asleep, under heavy sedation, I told 
     Paul's sister that I was about to leave for Albany for the 
     state of the State address. Paul suddenly awoke, sat up, and 
     said clearly and adamantly: ``When you get to Albany, you 
     tell them that we put money in the budget for research and 
     teaching hospitals and they'd better be sure they don't cut 
     it.'' I

[[Page S8898]]

     took my orders, went to Albany, and carried Paul's message to 
     the legislature.
       Although Paul would continue to battle illness over the 
     next 5\1/2\ years, he would do it on his own terms. He made a 
     deal with Dr. Dougherty, to structure his treatments around 
     his work schedule. When he became a Commissioner of the SEC, 
     he waged a spirited battle for the least powerful, individual 
     investor, and never let his illness impair his commitment to 
     that work.
       He would sometimes have to travel to the Netherlands, to 
     take powerful treatments, but he would combine those trips 
     with visits to friends at European Embassies, or tours with 
     his brothers and sisters through France and Italy.
       Among his most memorable journeys was the White House 
     delegation's trip to Ireland last winter, where he and I were 
     privileged to join President Clinton as he made a farewell 
     visit to the country he had guided toward peace.
       And this spring we had the honor to attend the investiture 
     of new Cardinals by his Holiness Pope John Paul II. On that 
     trip, we visited many glorious and deeply religious sites, 
     including the Basilica of his namesake, Saint Paul.
       And although we mark today his passing into eternal life, 
     we repeat our belief that today is a joyous remembrance, with 
     no remorse or regret.
       And there is no need to ask now, ``Where's Paul?'' Because 
     today we celebrate Paul's Homecoming. We know where Paul is, 
     he's in his mother's arms.
       And now that Paul's ascendancy is complete, I wonder if 
     when he arrived at the Heavenly Gate, perhaps St. Peter had 
     gone fishing as was his custom, and that day St. Paul may 
     have been there to greet him.
       If so, Paul may have had a chance to ask a question he had 
     long pondered: When St. Paul wrote to the Romans and the 
     Colossians and the Corinthians, did they ever write back?
       But before he'd answer, St. Paul might say, I have a 
     question for you: ``Did you bring your Rolodex?''
       ``Why,'' Paul would ask, ``Would you want my Rolodex?''
       And St. Paul would answer, ``If it contains the names of 
     all the people you helped, and the people who helped you, 
     that's a list we want to have!''
       So if you were in Paul's Rolodex, you're halfway to Heaven!
       And you can count on us to be there with you, until we all 
     make it the rest of the way. Thank you and God bless you!

  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise to join the senior Senator from 
New York, Mr. Schumer, in paying tribute to the late Paul R. Carey. I 
was also honored to have been invited to speak at the memorial service 
for Paul here in Washington last week, and I wish every Senator could 
have been there to share in the outpouring of emotion and affection for 
this wonderful young man. My husband and I knew Paul Carey well and we 
considered him a dear friend. Paul made many important contributions to 
President Clinton's work in the White House, and he remained a close 
friend after he left the White House to become a Commissioner of the 
Securities and Exchange Commission. He touched so many of us with his 
wonderfully passionate attitude toward life and his truly special gift 
for friendship. I join Senator Schumer in paying tribute to Paul Carey, 
and in expressing condolences to Governor Carey, to Paul's 11 brothers 
and sisters, and to his many friends. He was a great New Yorker and we 
will never forget him.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I thank the Senators from New York, Mr. 
Schumer and Mrs. Clinton, for their statements about Paul Carey. I also 
knew Paul and his work, both at the SEC and at the White House, and I 
join the Senators from New York in expressing condolences to his 
distinguished father, Governor Hugh Carey, and to the rest of Paul's 
family and many friends. He was a fine public servant and a fine man, 
and he will be sorely missed.

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