Jimmy Carter, 1924-2024

I met Jimmy Carter at a Habitat for Humanity event in Plains, Georgia, in the late 1990s. He was the headliner at a weekend-long event for major donors. I was invited by a friend who was there in place of her boss, the major donor, who couldn’t make it.

Fancy events aren’t usually my thing, but I always liked Jimmy Carter and was excited to have an opportunity to meet him. When he served as our 39th President from 1977-1981, I was between 11-15 years old. He seemed like a good man while in office, and since then, I had admired his post-presidency work. Fast forward to the late 1990s, and there I was in Georgia, shaking hands with the only president I have yet to meet. (I did see Bill Clinton give a speech at BookExpo when it was still called BEA. A story for another day.)

The Importance of Home

We arrived in Georgia on a Friday evening and spent Saturday morning helping build houses with a Habitat for Humanity team. I still treasure the hammer I used that day, which was given to me as a keepsake. In the afternoon, we visited the home of and talked with a Habitat for Humanity homeowner.

Later that evening, Carter gave a talk after dinner. Staying on theme, he spoke about the importance of home as an idea and physical place. He talked about a home built by an ancestor, one of the oldest settler dwellings in Georgia.

Photo Op

After his talk, we got in line to pose for a photo with Carter. It was an assembly line, a well-oiled system lubricated by assistants and security. When it was my turn, the President and I smiled at one another as I stepped forward into his open left arm. I thought I would stand near him, but he pulled me in as our right hands connected to shake. It was quick but oddly intimate. I remembered to keep my eyes open, perhaps a little too open from the looks of the resulting photograph.

The photo was snapped. We nodded and smiled again at each other before a graceful assistant guided me away, and the person behind me stepped into place for their moment with the president.

I spent the rest of the evening having a few drinks with several off-duty Secret Service agents. The agents couldn’t share much about their work but seemed to love their job. They, like Carter, made me feel warm and not exactly fuzzy but seen and acknowledged. Everyone working the event was very present.

Sunday School with Jimmy Carter

The following morning, a smaller group than the night before attended a Sunday School Class taught by Jimmy Carter at his church, Maranatha Baptist. I don’t remember what he preached about, but he told a funny story that has stuck with me.

Members of the congregation took turns caring for the churchyard back then. One day, while Carter was raking leaves wearing overalls and a straw hat—the Secret Service keeping their distance—a car pulled up, and a man got out and asked if he could use the restroom. Carter said, “Sure, the church is open.”

On the way out after doing his business, the man thanked Carter and asked, “Isn’t this Jimmy Carter’s church?” Carter affirmed that Jimmy Carter was a member. The man slapped his thigh and said he couldn’t wait to tell his wife that he peed in Jimmy Carter’s church. They laughed together, and the guy drove off.

Who knew overalls and a straw hat could be such effective camouflage? Context is everything.

During the Sunday School Class, I sat in the front row, a half dozen people away from Rosalynn Carter. At one point, Jimmy said something about how good Rosalynn’s legs looked as she sat with them crossed before him. Perhaps he was talking about love? I wish I could recall. Rosalynn blushed, and they smiled at one another, their eyes twinkling.

Love, Kindness, Service

Whenever I hear the name Jimmy Carter, I think of love, kindness, and service. May we all have an ounce of his ethics and the desire to do good deeds. Rest in peace, honorable man.

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The Maranatha Baptist Church linked this video on their site. It shows scenes around Plains, GA, and Carter speaking inside the church as he teaches a Sunday School Class to a capacity crowd from around the country.