[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 201 (Monday, November 30, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1073-E1074]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               IN HONOR OF DR. JOSEPH DONNELL CARLEY, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 30, 2020

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and 
solemn remembrance that I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding 
educator, man of God, and dear friend of longstanding, Dr. Joseph 
Donnell Carley, Jr. Sadly, Dr. Carley passed away on Sunday, November 
22, 2020. A home-going celebration was held graveside on Sunday, 
November 29, 2020, at 2pm in Thomasville, Georgia at Peaceful Rest 
Cemetery.
  Dr. Joseph Donnell Carley Jr. was born on November 11, 1955, in 
Thomasville, Georgia, as the fourth of seven children to the late Mr. 
Joseph Eugene Carley, Sr. and Mrs. Rosamond Louise ``Colvin'' Carley. 
He grew up in the Tockwotten community and went on to earn an 
Associate's degree in Biology and Early Childhood Education from 
Birdwood Junior College (now Thomas University); a Bachelor's degree in 
Psychology from Valdosta State University (then Valdosta State 
College); and a Master's in Early Childhood Education from Valdosta 
State University. In addition to receiving an honorary Doctorate degree 
in Early Childhood Education from the University of America, an 
affiliate of New York University, he also attended Continuing Education 
training for Early Childhood Education for Child Care leaders with the 
National Early Childhood Program Accreditation's National 
Administrators Credential (NECPA-NAC) and at University of Georgia, 
Albany State University, Bainbridge College, and Georgia State 
University.
  Dr. Carley had an immense passion for knowledge and bettering the 
lives of others through teaching. During his professional career as an 
educator, he taught at every level of education. He was the owner of 
Mu-Dear Child Care Center and Preparatory Preschool, where he served in 
a number of roles for 39 years. He taught in the Thomas County School 
System, the Thomasville City School System, and the Bainbridge State 
Hospital Special Education Department, also serving as an Adjunct 
Professor at Albany State University and Thomas University. In addition 
to his extensive career in Education and Administration, he was also a 
Consultant, Gospel Announcer, Gospel Recording Artist, Motivational 
Speaker, Counselor, Mentor, School Board Member, and a National 
Instructor for the NECPA-NAC.
  Dr. George Washington Carver once said, ``No individual has any right 
to come into the world and go out of it without leaving behind distinct 
and legitimate reasons for having passed through it.'' We are so 
blessed that Dr. Joseph Donnell Carley, Jr. passed this way and shared 
with us his legacy of service that will stand the test of time. Surely, 
the pearls of wisdom that Dr. Carley has given to all those whose lives 
he has touched will forever resonate in their hearts and spirits.
  On a personal note, Donnell Carley wowed me as a dynamic choral 
director of soul stirring capacity. His body drama in directing a 
gospel choir drove countless congregations to stand on their feet and 
wave their hands during worship and concert renditions. His passion for 
excellence and his God-given talents made a joyful noise of praise to 
God from whom all blessings flow.
  Donnell's zeal for Early Childhood Education, his years of dedication 
to Mu-Dear's Child Care Center, and his effective service on the 
Thomasville City Board of Education resulted in numerous phone calls, 
letters, and visits to my Congressional Office in Washington, DC. in 
support of improving education in America. Over the 28 years that I 
have known Dr. Carley, he has given me sage advice and counsel. He was 
direct and always told me not what he thought I wanted to hear, but 
what he thought I needed to hear.
  Dr. Carley was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, 
Armogene, but his legacy lives on through his siblings Barbara, Susan, 
Gail, Rosamond, and Eugene; and a host of family and friends, who will 
miss him dearly.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife, Vivian, and me, 
along with the more than 730,000 residents of Georgia's Second 
Congressional District, in honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Joseph 
Donnell Carley, Jr. and in extending our deepest sympathies to his 
family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time of 
bereavement. Moreover, we pray that we will all be consoled and 
comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks, 
and months ahead.

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