Along with fellow historians Branson Buddinger and Sandy Ives, Carson was well aware of Derry's dark past and history. While being probed by Mike Hanlon, he recounts and takes note of the annual, ancient cycle that plagued the entire town every twenty-seven years. In Carson's final interview (prior to his death), he grimly warns Hanlon to abandon his works on writing a history of Derry's tainted history, insisting that no one would be interested in reading it (especially those outside the state of Maine). He died in 1984 from laryngeal cancer.