By Dianna Smith
DELRAY BEACH — Carter Golembe wanted to be a poet.
This powerful, intelligent man who spent his life as a star of sorts in the banking industry once wanted to focus his talents on writing, but life had different plans for Mr. Golembe. He fought in World War II, received the Purple Heart and went on to earn his master’s and Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University and a law degree from George Washington University. He spent most of his life excelling as a consultant, a speaker and a mentor to many in Washington D.C., where he spent many years working in the business world.
Mr. Golembe died Dec. 18 at the age of 86 and will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, where his longtime co-workers can say goodbye to their very good friend.
But locals here in Delray Beach, where he lived full-time the last 20 years, also are mourning his loss.
One of Golembe’s daily stops was at Delray News and Tobacco on Atlantic. Almost every morning he would pick up a copy of the New York Times and chat with manager Nancy Tolford about the latest news.
“He was an amusing man who really didn’t speak of his own accomplishments,” she said. “He was very intelligent. If he did speak of his banking experiences, you always learned something.”
Some of those accomplish-ments include working for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and helping to start the American Bankers Association’s Washington office. He started his own consulting firm in the late 1960s known as the “Mercedes of the industry,” and founded the International Financial Conference. He also served 10 years on the board of Barnett Banks of Florida in Jacksonville.
And in his often hectic life, Mr. Golembe also managed to find time for romance.
He married Patricia Healy-Golembe in 1990, nine years after hiring her as his decorator in Delray Beach. He was a part-time resident back then and their friendship eventually led to dating. They spent most of their 20-year marriage traveling around the world so Mr. Golembe could attend conferences.
“We had a great life,” Patricia said. “We were best friends.”
Patricia served as his secretary, transcribing notes that her husband would dictate to her. He was not one to use the computer, she said. They worked six years together on But I Never Made a Loan, a banking history memoir of which Mr. Golembe dictated every single chapter.
He worked until his early 80s and stopped after suffering a stroke. Patricia said her husband would’ve liked to have died then because during his last years, he wasn’t living the life he loved.
“It was time for him to go,” she said.
Mr. Golembe is also survived by his brother John of Schwetzingen, Germany, and sons: Gregory of Reston, Va., and Christopher of Pompano Beach, Fla.; four grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
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