By Nancy Thorner -
Having had the opportunity to meet in person and to hear Dr. Ben Carson and his wife, Candy, speak at Eagle Council XLV in St. Louis two weekends ago was a awesome experience. There is nothing stuffy or haughty about either of them. They were genuine and approachable in every way, with smiles that were infectious to those who gathered around them as they posed for countless photos prior to their individual messages to those assembled.
It was appropriate that Dr. Ben Carson should introduce his wife Candy, as Candy was the recipient of this year's Eagle Forum Fulltime Homemaker award presented on Saturday, September 17 by Ed Martin, President of Eagle Forum.
Dr. Carson first gave homage to Phyllis Schlafly, honoring her as a wife, mother, scholar, writer, painter and as a person of integrity and a tireless leader in advancing conservative ideas and principles.
Pride and admiration were likewise displayed when Dr. Carson spoke about his wife "Candy" (Lacena nee Rustin), who have been married for forty-one years and have raised three sons — Murray, Benjamin Jr. and Rhoeyce – and are now grandparents.
Candy & Dr. Ben Carson with Nancy Thorner
Speaking of Candy's stellar academic record Carson bragged how Candy has a triple major at Yale University — where she studied music, psychology and pre-med. Candy also has a Master’s in Business Administration and is the head of the Carson Scholars Fund program, which awards $1,000 to 2nd through 11th grades students that showed exceptional academic prowess and commitment to their communities.
Additionally, Candy is a former concert violinist. Both Dr. Carson and Candy are musicians. Carson spoke of having won a scholarship to Interlochen, Michigan when in high school. Having lived in Traverse City, Michigan for a few years, and knowing the exceptional music prowess of the students who attend Interlochen, Caron must have excelled on his instrument. Unfortunately, Dr. Carson never revealed which band or orchestra instrument he played to be awarded this prestigious scholarship.
Despite both being from Detroit, Carson revealed that he and Candy met each other for the first time in college. Praying to God that he would meet someone he could marry, their first encounter was when singing in a church choir in New Haven, CT. while attending Yale.
As both Carson and Candy were from families without much in the way of finances and desired to travel home for Thanksgiving, Carson recalled how the school would pay their way home if the students would do some recruiting for them. "So we went on their dime, we got a chance to go out to restaurants and do things we normally would not ever have the chance to do and we started having some feelings for each other," he said.
Ben Carson fell in love with Candy during a drive back to Yale from Ann Arbor. Not wanting the school to be charged an extra day for a car rental, Carson fell asleep at 90 miles an hour and was awakened by the vibrations of the car as it was going off the road, heading off into a ravine. Carson grabbed the wheel and the car stopped on the shoulder, in the right direction, just in time before an 18-wheeler barreled by.
Candy, having awakened, asked what had happened and Carson said, "Nothing." At this point Carson explained what had happened and both he and Candy agreed that "God had spared our lives because He wanted us to do something."
It was then that Carson and Candy started going together as a couple. They were "basically inseparable from that point on,” he said. (Candy's narrative was slightly different from how Ben Carson remembered the incident, which is noted later on in her comments.) The date was November 28, 1972.
Dr. Carson gave God credit for his amazing medical career, but it was also God who gave Carson a wife he could depend on to take care of their three sons, all of great accomplishments — an engineer, entrepreneur, and an accountant. All three married in 2011 to women who emulated their mother. Candy, like Phyllis Schlafly, recognized the wonder of God and knew where true power lies. Candy kept all together while taking care of the Carson household.
Dr. Carson related how Candy was opposed to his participation in politics until she became a grandmother, after which she was influential in his leap into the political arena. It was then that Candy started thinking about her grandchildren and how they’re not going to have any future if we don’t start thinking about what’s going on in this country. (As Candy Carson told Breitbart.com when commenting on the national debt, “Historically, every other generation has made it better for the next one, and this particular generation is making it worse for the next one.”) Candy was very helpful in Ben's campaign as a speaker, etc.
This bit of information was revealed by Carson about himself. Dr. Caron loves to play pool. Candy learned to play pool, and is very good at it, to be able to spend quality time with Ben. It was then that Dr. Carson introduced Candy Carson as the "pool shark."
Candy Carson speaks
As her husband had done, Candy spoke in glowing terms about the accomplishments and work of Phyllis Schlafly.
In clarifying her husband's remembrance of their almost accident in which their lives were miraculously spared, Candy insisted that both she and Ben woke up at the same time, to counter Ben's tale of how he woke up first. Candy did admit that she was supposed to keep Ben awake.
In reference to Candy not being pleased initially with her husband's run for president, she mused how she had given Ben up to medicine for 30 years, but when the signatures to draft Carson reached 500,000, Candy began to think that maybe we should listen to the people who want Carson to run. There were also the innocent faces of her grandchildren to consider
Candy, an admirer of George Washington as a leader, recounted how Washington once had four bullet holes in his jacket, but no flesh wounds, although Indians had had clear shots at him. Indians came to think of Washington as one protected by the Great Spirit. God had his hand on this nation. Our nation is sick, and this is why Ben ran.
What happened in Iowa during its caucus was very upsetting to Candy, and at a time when Carson was up in the polls. It involved Ted Cruz sending Cruz people into each venue where a caucus was being conducted with a message that Ben was dropping out of the race, so vote for Cruz. Candy, having left the caucus venue already in her car and on to another site went back in, and in no uncertain terms, set the record straight. Ben was not dropping out the presidential race!
Regarding Ben's presidential campaign, Candy indicated how God had opened many doors. Money keep coming in with donations of $50 or less.
Candy reflected how we don't have an educated populous and bemoaned how the media no longer presents facts. Ratings are often boosted by printing untruths. The political class has kicked the can down the road, until this nation is almost ready to go off the cliff. Our debt, using the figure of $18 trillion, would take 5,000 years to pay back at $10 million a day. But along with this $18 trillion debt, our unfunded liabilities amount to $211 trillion!
In speaking about Trump, Candy indicated that Trump is the only candidate to get us out of this mess. Speaking about an electrical grid so susceptible that with the push of a button this nation could be without electricity; a crisis on our borders which is out-of-control and a national security threat; and the on-going efforts to take away our freedoms, including right to life, Candy said of Hillary: "Every time Hillary opens her mouth, Trump moves higher in the polls."
"We need Trump to run our nation like a business," she told the audience.
As such Candy urged all to vote. She expressed great dissatisfaction of the 25 – 35 million evangelicals who did not vote in 2012, and assured all that Trump was listening to religious leaders. In conclusion Candy cautioned:
This is it. If we don't care now about our Supreme Court picks and in kicking the can down the road instead of getting a handle on the financial mess this nation is in, there won't be a country any more. . . . If not Trump who?, if not now, when?
Ben Carson joined wife Candy on stage, at which time Candy Carson was presented with this year's Eagle Forum Fulltime Homemakers Award.
Dr. Ben Carson and his wife are proud to have established The Carson Scholars Fund awards. Founded in 1994, 1966 was the first year that scholarships were awarded. $1,000 college scholarships awards are given to students in grades 4-11 who excel academically and are dedicated to serving their communities. Scholarship winners receive the honor of being named “Carson Scholars” and are awarded an Olympic-sized medal and a trophy for their school to celebrate their accomplishments. Previous winners of Carson Scholarships are eligible to reapply for Carson Scholar Recognition annually.
Visit the Current Scholar page for more information.
