Carolyn McCarthy

 I was sad to hear she died yesterday. 

If you don’t know who I talking about, you might want to watch a movie, The Long  Island Incident, where she was portrayed by Laurie Metcalf.

Until December 7, 1993, Carolyn’s life was ordinary.  She was born Carolyn Cook in Brooklyn, NY on January 5, 1944.  She became a licensed practical nurse and married Dennis McCarthy; they raised their only child, Kevin, on Long Island.

Carolyn’s world turned upside down on December 7, 1993.  On that date a crazed gunman boarded a crowded Long Island Railroad train and started shooting.  He killed six people, including Dennis McCarthy.  He wounded 19 people, including Kevin McCarthy.

Carolyn became a gun control advocate.  A lifelong Republican, in 1996 she ran for Congress as a Democrat and beat the Republican incumbent.  She ran because the incumbent voted “no” on major gun control legislation.

She served until 2015.  Earlier this year President Biden awarded her the Presidential Citizens Medal. 

A ordinary woman who turned unbearable tragedy into action.  May her memory be a blessing.