I MET CAREY FOR THE FIRST TIME DURING MY FIRST CCA CONVENTION WHEN DOUG SMITH WAS PRESIDENT. CAREY WAS VOLUNTEERING WORKING THE CCA CLUB DISPLAY CASES BY THE BENNY BINION HORSE STATUE IN THE SOUTH POINT HOTEL. CAREY WAS STANDING THERE EVERY SINGLE TIME I WALKED BY AND I FINALLY WALKED UP AND SAID HELLO AND LOOKED AT THE DISPLAY. I REMEMBER HE WAS SUCH A NICE MAN AND VERY WELCOMING AS WE TALKED ABOUT BEING MY FIRST TIME AT THE CONVENTION AND I THOUGHT IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE IT LIVE.

I TOLD CAREY I RECOGNIZED HIM FROM A YOUTUBE VIDEO FILMED MANY YEARS AGO WHERE HE WAS BEING INTERVIEWED ABOUT THE CCGTCC CLUB AND HE SAID TO THE INTERVIEWER THAT THEIR WAS NOT A MEANIE IN THE ENTIRE CLUB. I REALIZED HOW NICE THIS MAN WAS AND HOW MUCH HE CHERISHED HIS CHIP CLUB AND FRIENDS INVOLVED WITH IT. HOPEFULLY, WE CAN ALL BE A PART OF MAKING THIS CLUB THAT WAY ONCE AGAIN. AS I WALKED UP, CAREY HAD JUST FINISHED HALF OF A CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH ON WHEAT BREAD FROM THE DEL MAR DELI THAT ONE OF THE CLUB MEMBERS BROUGHT HIM FOR LUNCH. CAREY OFFERED IT TO ME AS HE COULD ONLY EAT THE FIRST HALF. I WAS ACTUALLY STARVING AND IT LOOKED DELICIOUS,BUT I DECLINED AS I DIDN’T WANT TO BE RUDE. I REMEMBER STARING AT THE SANDWICH SINCE I LOVE CHICKEN SALAD AND IT LOOKED AMAZING. CAREY TOLD ME HE DIDN’T WANT TO WASTE THE OTHER HALF BUT COULD NOT FINISH IT AND DIDN’T WANT THE PERSON WHO BOUGHT IT FOR HIM TO SEE THE OTHER HALF WASTED IF THEY CAME BACK BY. THAT WAS ALL IT TOOK FOR ME SO I DECIDED TO TAKE HIM UP ON THE NICE OFFER AND CHOMPED IT DOWN WHILE WE WERE TALKING. AFTER THE SANDWICH, I NEEDED A SODA SO TOLD CAREY I WAS GOING TO THE DEL MAR DELI FOR A FOUNTAIN DRINK AND WANTED TO PICK HIM UP ONE AS WELL. HE WAS SUPER HAPPY FOR THAT OFFER AND OFFERED TO PURCHASE MINE AS WELL AS HE TOOK OUT SOME CASH OUT OF HIS POCKET HANDING IT TO ME. I TOLD CAREY THANK YOU BUT ABSOLUTELY NOT, AND I OWED HIM AT LEAST A DRINK AFTER HIS KIND GESTURE. THIS WAS THE KIND OF PERSON CAREY WAS, PEOPLE LIKE CAREY ARE A RARE GEM IN LIFE AND WE WERE ALL LUCKY JUST TO HAVE KNOWN HIM. HIS KINDNESS TO A PERSON AND CLUB MEMBER HE JUST MET WAS SOMETHING I HAVE NEVER FORGOTTEN.