The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE IN MEMORY OF CARTER CONLEY
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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.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 162
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