Raised by a single mother, young Benjamin Carson experienced dire poverty throughout his childhood. With the never-ending support of his mother, who had only a third-grade education herself, he developed a love of reading. His mother firmly believed that education and faith in the Lord were the channels that would change the course of her boys’ lives and end the cycle of poverty for her family. After graduating from Yale University, Dr. Carson earned his M.D. from the University of Michigan Medical School.
For nearly 30 years, Dr. Carson served as Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. He assumed this position when he was just 33 years old, making him the youngest major division director in the hospital’s history. In 1987, he successfully performed the first separation of craniopagus twins conjoined at the back of the head. He also performed the first fully successful separation of type-2 vertical craniopagus twins in 1997 in South Africa.
Dr. Carson received dozens of honors and awards in recognition of his achievements including:
Dr. Carson also:
In 2016, Dr. Carson accepted the position of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under the Trump administration. After completing his tenure as the 17th Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2021, Dr. Carson founded the American Cornerstone Institute (ACI). The ACI is focused on fighting for the principles that have guided him through life and that make this country great: faith, liberty, community and life.
Dr. Carson and his wife, Candy Carson, co-founded the Carson Scholars Fund, which recognizes young people of all backgrounds for exceptional academic and humanitarian accomplishments. The organization has awarded more than 11,000 scholarships and has paid out more than $9.5 million. The Carson Scholars Fund is currently operating in 50 states and the District of Columbia, and since its founding, has installed more than 280 Ben Carson Reading Rooms around the country.
The Carsons have been married over 48 years and are proud parents and grandparents.
(Dr. Carson) I was inspired by the mission stories in church, that frequently featured missionary doctors who travelled the world at great personal expense to bring not only physical, but mental and spiritual healing to others. I was attracted to kids, because I like to get a big return on my investment.
(Dr. Carson) Being inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) medical honor society and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences.
Helping people realize that the person who has the most to do with what happens to you in life is YOU!
The Presidential Medal of Freedom
Every time I come out of the operating room and can tell a family that the operation went well and their loved one is doing well.
Math
Chip the Dam Builder by Jim Kjelgaard (about a beaver)
Mr. Jaeck, the science teacher who was the first to have a lot of faith in me (Ben).
Yes, dogs: boxer – named Echo, German shepherd/wolf – named Boon-day, black cat – Shadow, salamander - Sally
Baseball
Blue
Yogi Bear
To learn more information about this amazing individual, please consider buying the book Gifted Hands or one of the other books from our bookstore. Please also consider buying the children’s book, Anything Is Possible. All proceeds go to benefit the Carson Scholars Fund. We appreciate your support!g
Mrs. Candy Carson is an author, speaker, philanthropist and musician. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Candy grew up in a lower-middle-class family that stressed strong values and hard work. Her parents, a teacher/church organist and an automobile factory worker, taught her from an early age to always do her best in life. That mindset led Candy from the Detroit area to Yale University on a scholarship that afforded her the opportunity to study music and psychology. She played first violin with the Yale Bach Society as well as the Yale Symphony, and recently played with the Palm Beach Atlantic University Symphony and more recently the Nashville Praise Symphony.
While in college, Candy met her future husband, Ben. When she moved back to Michigan after graduation, the two married.
When the couple moved to Baltimore for Dr. Carson’s residency program, Candy earned her master’s degree in business at Johns Hopkins University. Over time, Candy worked in multiple business capacities and continued to foster her love of music. She also served on boards such as Johns Hopkins University’s Shriver Concert Series Board, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Board and the Museum of the Bible’s Women’s Advisory Board.
Candy’s passion, however, lies first and foremost in fostering a better future for America’s children. That culminated in the cofounding, with her husband Ben, of the Carson Scholars Fund over 25 years ago. The nonprofit organization seeks to prepare the next generation for leadership and success in life through reading and education.
Candy has co-written five books with her husband. In 2016, her solo book, A Doctor in the House, was published. In it, Candy shares many personal stories that had never been told before.
Candy and Ben have three sons and daughters-in-law and eight grandchildren.
