I’m watching a movie that came out in 2020 called Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President. It highlights the side of the man who sat behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office from 1977-1981, that many didn’t know. The music lover who hung out with the likes of the Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan, June and Johnny Cash, Roseanne Cash, Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Bono and Willie Nelson. He had a depth of knowledge about many genres of music and numerous concerts were held at the White House. Musicians showed up unannounced at times, including Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
From what Carter said in the movie, the Allman Brothers brought young voters to his side. He implied that if he was good enough for them, he would be good for young people as a president. Although they were not the folks who brought me to the voting booth to pull the lever for Jimmy Carter, he was the first one I voted for. The motto was ‘Vote For Jimmy Carter, For A Change’. Part of his intention was to re-establish trust in government following Watergate. He seemed to come out of nowhere, according to his detractors as they asked, “Jimmy Who?” The man from Plains, Georgia was a man of integrity who not only loved music, but fitness as well. Running was a passion that helped him stay in shape and manage stress.
His presidential legacy, per The Smithsonian Magazine, “brokered a peace deal between Israel and Egypt, pioneered a federal energy program and reassured a nation that was still shaken by the Watergate scandal.”
While naysayers were critical of his time in office, very few would claim that his post presidential decades were anything short of remarkable. He took his deep spiritual faith and put legs under it. His signature project was Habitat for Humanity and together with his beloved wife Rosalynn helped build, renovate or repair 4,390 homes in 14 countries. When he was 95, he fell and hit his head, requiring multiple stiches. Did that stop him from picking up and his hammer and continuing to contribute to the homes of those in need? Sporting a black eye, he did just that.
He championed the obliteration of Guinea Worm which had been a life threatening parasite.
He and Rosalynn co-founded The Carter Center, the motto of which is Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope.
Because he was dedicated to the rights of women, in 2000 he left the Southern Baptist Convention, after 60 years, since they restricted women in leadership. He wrote this piece in 2009, expressing, “Women and girls have been discriminated against for too long in a twisted interpretation of the word of God.”
As I was watching a clip of him taking the oath of office, I teared up as I remembered that I played a role in that reality. He and Rosalynn were true servant leaders and true partners. The story is that they met when she was a newborn and he was three years old. His mother Lillian Carter, a registered nurse, helped deliver her neighbor Frances “Allie” Smith’s eldest baby, Eleanor Rosalynn. When she came home, Jimmy came over to visit. It wasn’t until much later that they began to date. They were inseparable and he saw her as an equal in all things. The ‘lusting in his soul’ interview with Playboy almost put the kibosh on the election, but it humanized him. All these years later, that quote would be laughable when compared to the morals and behavior of current politicians.
When Rosalynn died November 19, 2023, I thought for sure that Jimmy would soon follow. As the calendar pages turned, I was amazed by his resilience even as he was placed on hospice care. He declared that he wanted to live long enough to vote for Kamala Harris for president. My prayer was that he would live long enough to see her inaugurated. Sadly, that was not to be. He took his final breath on December 29, 2024, a little more than a year after his beloved Rosalynn died.
I wish I could offer tribute to Jimmy Carter, our 39th president and Nobel Peace Prize winner without referencing someone who is the polar opposite with regard to morals, ethics, values and intentions for our country. As is tradition, the flag is now being flown at half staff all over the country for the next month. As could be expected, he objected to that position of the stars and stripes during the inauguration, claiming that it makes Americans unhappy. “Nobody wants to see this.” What he has forgotten is that when his time comes, regardless who is in office, the flag will fly at half staff to honor his life as well.
The state funeral will be held on January 9th and this man of peace and service will be honored as someone who left the world better than he found it. May his memory be for a blessing. May his spirit soar.
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This Post is republished on Medium.
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Photo credit: Flickr
