[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 162 (Monday, September 20, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E990]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE IN MEMORY OF CARTER CONLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 20, 2021

  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
the memory of Captain Carter Conley, founding member and leader of the 
Magoffin County Rescue Squad in Salyersville, Kentucky where he 
dedicated nearly 50 years to serving and protecting the community he 
loved.
  Carter made a decision immediately after graduating from the 
University of Kentucky, nearly five decades ago, to return home to use 
his bachelor's degree in Early Education, where he would raise a 
wonderful family and make an impact on his small hometown by also 
pursuing his dream of becoming a firefighter and certified EMT. Hard 
work was never a foreign term to Carter--he lived and breathed it, from 
working his way through college, to uniting a group of community 
leaders to form the Magoffin County Rescue Squad in 1974. The squad 
started off with 10 members, $100.00, and the mountain ingenuity it 
takes to raise enough money to purchase and refurbish an old bread 
truck and two old boats from the Jenny Wiley State Park for the rescue 
squad's first fleet. Thanks to coal severance dollars and the support 
of the local fiscal court, the rescue squad began to grow, and became 
essential to emergency response during the flood of 1978. Carter and 
the squad ramped up fundraising efforts over the years, taking their 
pleas to the local newspaper, the radio station, and eventually a live 
televised auction. As a direct result of their tireless efforts, the 
people of Magoffin County are safer today than ever before.
  In addition to his volunteer work with the Magoffin County Rescue 
Squad, he worked at Mountain Comprehensive Care; he served as an 
Assistant Fire Chief 1982 to 1985; he was a Level 1 Fire instructor 
through the Kentucky Fire Commission; and worked at Big Sandy Area 
Development District as a case manager in aging services for over 15 
years. Carter's impact on Magoffin County is widespread and deeply 
rooted.
  As we survey the impact of COVID-19 in our communities, we must look 
beyond the statistics and see the lives of beloved individuals like 
Captain Carter Conley, who lost an unpredictable battle, despite his 
efforts to save others from the same deadly virus.
  My wife, Cynthia, and I extend our deepest heartfelt condolences to 
his wife, Vivian and the entire Conley family. Capt. Conley was a true 
hometown hero, and although his watch is finally over, I am confident 
that his great host of family and friends will continue to keep his 
memory alive.

                          ____________________