Delray Beach lost a great man last week with the passing of Dr. Thomas Carney.
The father of former Commissioner and Mayor Tom Carney and former Palm Beach County Tax Collector Peter Carney and a third son Dan, Doc Carney was 90 and had spent many years in Delray.
When I clicked on his notice last week I was stunned but not surprised by Dr. Carney’s resume. He packed a lot of experiences, accomplishments and achievements into his lifetime and achieved success in medicine, business, philanthropy, banking, education, the church and civic affairs. He was even a key figure in the legendary ABA (American Basketball Association) as an owner of the Miami Floridians.
As a friend of mine used to say, he paid his civic rent and then some.
But as we all know, people are more than their curriculum vitae’s.
Two of my most memorable evenings in Delray included Dr. Carney.
The first was a multi course (and many different wines) dinner at Tom’s house that included an eclectic guest list ranging from a Major League Baseball manager to several prominent Washington officials. It was memorable. And the life of the party was Dr. Carney. He was funny, smart and hugely charismatic. People were drawn to him. He had an energy, a wit and a love of life that was infectious.
The second memorable evening was a meet and greet with Senator Edward Kennedy and his wife at Dr. Carney’s place on Andrews Avenue.

It was in the midst of the 2004 presidential campaign and Massachusetts’ senior Senator was making a campaign stop on behalf of Sen. Kerry.
It was fascinating to meet the Senator who seemed to know a bunch of facts about Delray.
Dr. Carney will be missed. He had a great smile, a curious mind and a hearty laugh.
In our thoughts and prayers. Well done sir. Thank you.