[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16498]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 IN APPRECIATION OF JOSEPH E. CARTER, FEDERAL WORKER AND THOROUGHBRED 
                                HORSEMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. CARRIE P. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 16, 1999

  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
late Joseph E. Carter on the fourth anniversary of his death from 
cancer, which occurred on July 31, 1995, at the age of 34. Mr. Carter 
was highly esteemed as a federal worker of great integrity while 
employed as one of the groundskeepers of the U.S. Capitol. He 
subsequently was a successful Thoroughbred groom and a respected 
clocker for ``The Daily Racing Form,'' positions which he greatly 
enjoyed.
  As kind and generous as he was physically powerful, Mr. Carter was 
quick to help anyone in need, without thought of repayment. This 
outstanding gentleman regularly helped the frail elderly and the 
widowed with his strenuous manual labor, and he was known to drive 80 
miles to obtain a second veterinarian's diagnosis regarding a dying 
horse, in order to try to save the animal's life.
  A typical example of Mr. Carter's warm compassion was evidenced when 
he once offered to adopt a profoundly retarded boy and to give him a 
safe, affectionate home when it was no longer possible for the child's 
loving family to keep the boy with them.
  When Mr. Carter learned that he was dying of inoperable cancer, he 
said quietly, ``The Lord gave me 29 good years, and I'm thankful. I'm 
going to die of cancer, but I'm not going to let it defeat me.''
  Mr. Carter was a credit to his upbringing who died undefeated by the 
terrible pain which he endured in his last years. The loving son of 
Bill and Kathy Carter of Brandywine, Maryland, Mr. Carter died with the 
same dignity and compassion with which he lived. His calm courage and 
optimism remain an inspiration to those who knew him.

                          ____________________