Memories Of GOVERNOR CARVEL

By Lt. Governor John C. Carney, Jr.  

Last Friday, Delaware paid tribute to former Governor Bert Carvel who passed away last month just a few days short of his 95 th birthday. Governor Carvel, known to many as Big Bert, was an incredible Delawarean and a towering figure in public life here for most of the second half of the 20 th Century.

I had the real privilege to get to know Bert during the last several years of his life. I first met him when I was serving as the State's Secretary of Finance under former Governor Tom Carper. During one of his State of the State addresses, Governor Carper recognized Governor Carvel's many contributions and long service to the state and acknowledged his presence in the audience. Bert was greeted with a long, standing ovation by those gathered in the Chamber. After the speech, he was presented with a portrait of his wife, Ann Valiant Carvel, in the Governor's Office.

When I first ran for Lt. Governor in 2000, I had the special opportunity to visit with Governor Carvel in his home on Carvel Street in Laurel. Accompanied by my friend, Dick Stone, the former Mayor of Laurel, we met in the small library on the first floor of Bert's home. The walls of the library, which doubled as a TV room for Bert, were lined with bookshelves and old political photographs. Governor Carvel spent a long time telling us about his days as Lt. Governor from 1945 until 1948. It was fascinating to hear these stories of events that happened in Delaware 50 years earlier before the end of World War II and in the years just after. The most interesting story was of his efforts to help Governor Bacon win the necessary support in the Legislature to build the Delaware Memorial Bridge. It was just incredible to hear first hand the history of those times.

Governor Carvel was not reluctant to share with me his advice on the necessary ingredients of effective leadership. He emphasized the need to keep in touch with the people. He said it was important to take care of the basic and essential services state government provides - quality schools, safe streets and good transportation.

He spoke a lot about the importance of the work of the Department of Transportation in meeting the needs of business and ordinary citizens. He explained how important and decisive transportation issues were in his political campaigns, particularly his second run for Governor in 1960. Governor Carvel was also not hesitant to express his objection to things happening today that he did not approve of like the large sums of money being spent on political campaigns.

I will always have a warm spot in my heart for Governor Carvel for the friendly hand that he extended to me, for his guidance and for his encouragement. I learned after meeting Bert that he was a man of great character and integrity. He was a man who wasn't afraid to stand on principle even in the face of public opposition. He was accessible and reasonable, but never wavered from what he believed was best for Delaware and its residents. For me, Bert Carvel is a great role model for any dedicated public servant.

It was a sad day for all of us when Governor Carvel died. He was loved by his family and friends and by generations of Delawareans that knew of his contributions to our state.

Perhaps most importantly, he will be remembered for his unwillingness to compromise his beliefs for political popularity. In his day, when the need for change was great and the political risk was greater, that would have been the easiest path to take.

Instead, he championed civil rights when it would have been easy for him to ignore the injustices that existed in the face of public opposition. He swallowed the bitter pill of a certain Legislative override and vetoed a bill reinstating capital punishment.

Governor Carvel defended those principled stances while making sure he kept Delaware moving forward in areas that required continued progress.

He followed through on campaign promises by appropriating millions for school construction, making sure the first span of the Delaware Memorial Bridge was completed and creating the Public Service Commission and state economic development department.

And he did all of that with a common, caring touch. He loved his hometown of Laurel and his community was similarly fond of him. I have spent a lot of time with the people of Laurel and I can tell you they expect hard work, common sense and humility in their public servants, and their trust is not earned easily. Governor Carvel measured up in every way.

Senator Thurman Adams gave Governor Carvel high praise in a recent newspaper article when he said, "He was a man of his word. When Bert Carvel said something, you didn't need to write it down because you knew it would be the same the next day, the next week, the next year."

Governor Carvel didn't stop serving his community when he retired from public service. In fact, it was only last year that he and his wife donated $2 million toward the building of a new facility at the University of Delaware Research and Education Center in Georgetown, a facility that will bear their name.

Bert Carvel was a courageous man. He was accessible and willing to listen to anyone. He cared for his neighbors, his community and his state. That's what Governor Elbert Carvel was about. We should all honor his memory by following his example of principled service.