Suff
03-11-2003, 11:02 PM
Joseph E. Carney Jr., Rockingham Park owner
http://www.rockinghampark.com/history.htm
Joseph E. Carney Jr. of Salem, N.H., president and owner of Rockingham Park and a prominent owner and breeder of racehorses, died Sunday at Massachusetts General Hospital after a long illness. He was 70.
Born and raised in Lawrence, he was a 1954 graduate of Virginia Military Institute.
He served in the Army during the Korean War.
Mr. Carney, along with his business partners, purchased the burned-out remains of Rockingham Park in Salem, N.H., in 1983. The racetrack had been shuttered for three years due to a fire. Rockingham Park reopened in the summer of 1984 with Mr. Carney serving as its president. That same year, the track was host to the New Hampshire Sweepstakes, reviving what is again one of the big events in local thoroughbred racing. He also led efforts to improve the track, including the installation of a turf course and the addition of a sports club and recreation area.
In 1991, Rockingham Park garnered national attention when its owners landed the American Championship Racing Series and the $500,000 New England Classic.
``It goes without saying that there would be no horse racing in New Hampshire if it weren't for him,'' said Rockingham's spokeswoman, Lynne Snierson. ``The track has not only brought in millions of dollars to state coffers, but it's also employed thousands and thousands of people.''
Snierson first met Mr. Carney in 1987 when she was covering a race for the Boston Herald. New to the racing beat, she said Mr. Carney's ``down-to-earth'' personality put her at ease. ``He was a wonderful person. It didn't matter to him if you were the governor or the groundskeeper . . . He knew everyone by name. When he asked you how you were doing, it wasn't just a platitude.''
He was instrumental in the establishment of a New England thoroughbred racing circuit, which created a rotating schedule of live races among area tracks for the benefit of the local racing industry. When Boston's Suffolk Downs racetrack closed in 1989, Mr. Carney allowed the horsemen to stable at Rockingham Park.
In 1988, he lent his support to opening a day care facility at the track, the second of its kind in the country. That same year, he also helped launch The Eighth Pole, a program that supports transient and migrant stable workers.
``There is absolutely no question that the program would not have happened without Joe,'' said Jim Greene, president of The Eighth Pole. ``In my opinion, Joe Carney was as good of a friend as the people on the backstretch ever had.''
He was one of the founders and directors of Rockingham Venture, Inc., which serves as the parent corporation for Rockingham Park, Seabrook Yankeee Greyhound Park in Seabrook, N.H., and Connecticut Yankee Greyhound Park in Plainfield, Conn. He was a former director of New England Harness Raceway in Foxboro, Audobon Racing/Midwest Raceway in Henderson, Ky., Key West Kennel Club in Key West, Fla., and Pensacola Racing in Pensacola, Fla.
His death came only a few months after it was announced that Rockingham would switch from throughbred to harness racing in 2003.
In his spare time, Mr. Carney enjoyed many outdoor activities, including golfing, fishing and hunting, and was an accomplished yachtsman. He was also known for his love of singing.
Mr. Carney is survived by his wife, Jill; three daughters, Kathleen Carney Brothers of Salem, N.H., Mary Gering of Rye, N.H., and Ellen Marie of California; two sons, Joseph III of Manchester, N.H., and James of New Castle, N.H.; two brothers, Dr. Thomas of Florida and Daniel of North Andover; two sisters, Joan O'Donnell of Hampton, N.H., and Mary Linnehan of Hampton Falls, N.H.; five grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday at Mary Queen of Peace Church in Salem, N.H.
Burial will be in Pine Grove Cemetery, Salem, N.H.
Arrangements by Douglas & Johnson Funeral Home, Salem, N.H.
http://www.rockinghampark.com/history.htm
Joseph E. Carney Jr. of Salem, N.H., president and owner of Rockingham Park and a prominent owner and breeder of racehorses, died Sunday at Massachusetts General Hospital after a long illness. He was 70.
Born and raised in Lawrence, he was a 1954 graduate of Virginia Military Institute.
He served in the Army during the Korean War.
Mr. Carney, along with his business partners, purchased the burned-out remains of Rockingham Park in Salem, N.H., in 1983. The racetrack had been shuttered for three years due to a fire. Rockingham Park reopened in the summer of 1984 with Mr. Carney serving as its president. That same year, the track was host to the New Hampshire Sweepstakes, reviving what is again one of the big events in local thoroughbred racing. He also led efforts to improve the track, including the installation of a turf course and the addition of a sports club and recreation area.
In 1991, Rockingham Park garnered national attention when its owners landed the American Championship Racing Series and the $500,000 New England Classic.
``It goes without saying that there would be no horse racing in New Hampshire if it weren't for him,'' said Rockingham's spokeswoman, Lynne Snierson. ``The track has not only brought in millions of dollars to state coffers, but it's also employed thousands and thousands of people.''
Snierson first met Mr. Carney in 1987 when she was covering a race for the Boston Herald. New to the racing beat, she said Mr. Carney's ``down-to-earth'' personality put her at ease. ``He was a wonderful person. It didn't matter to him if you were the governor or the groundskeeper . . . He knew everyone by name. When he asked you how you were doing, it wasn't just a platitude.''
He was instrumental in the establishment of a New England thoroughbred racing circuit, which created a rotating schedule of live races among area tracks for the benefit of the local racing industry. When Boston's Suffolk Downs racetrack closed in 1989, Mr. Carney allowed the horsemen to stable at Rockingham Park.
In 1988, he lent his support to opening a day care facility at the track, the second of its kind in the country. That same year, he also helped launch The Eighth Pole, a program that supports transient and migrant stable workers.
``There is absolutely no question that the program would not have happened without Joe,'' said Jim Greene, president of The Eighth Pole. ``In my opinion, Joe Carney was as good of a friend as the people on the backstretch ever had.''
He was one of the founders and directors of Rockingham Venture, Inc., which serves as the parent corporation for Rockingham Park, Seabrook Yankeee Greyhound Park in Seabrook, N.H., and Connecticut Yankee Greyhound Park in Plainfield, Conn. He was a former director of New England Harness Raceway in Foxboro, Audobon Racing/Midwest Raceway in Henderson, Ky., Key West Kennel Club in Key West, Fla., and Pensacola Racing in Pensacola, Fla.
His death came only a few months after it was announced that Rockingham would switch from throughbred to harness racing in 2003.
In his spare time, Mr. Carney enjoyed many outdoor activities, including golfing, fishing and hunting, and was an accomplished yachtsman. He was also known for his love of singing.
Mr. Carney is survived by his wife, Jill; three daughters, Kathleen Carney Brothers of Salem, N.H., Mary Gering of Rye, N.H., and Ellen Marie of California; two sons, Joseph III of Manchester, N.H., and James of New Castle, N.H.; two brothers, Dr. Thomas of Florida and Daniel of North Andover; two sisters, Joan O'Donnell of Hampton, N.H., and Mary Linnehan of Hampton Falls, N.H.; five grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday at Mary Queen of Peace Church in Salem, N.H.
Burial will be in Pine Grove Cemetery, Salem, N.H.
Arrangements by Douglas & Johnson Funeral Home, Salem, N.H.