The day I met former President Jimmy Carter
On Feb. 17, 2017, I entered Maranatha Baptist Church Plains, Ga. and had the pleasure to meet former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn. Fortunately, I arrived early because the church and overflow rooms accommodate only 475 people and capacity was reached that day.
This was a unique experience from beginning to end. Turning from the road onto the driveway to the church, I was stopped by a Secret Service Agent who walked around my car with his dog trained to detect items of danger. Then I was allowed to proceed to park my car.
I walked toward the front of the church and was approached by a church official who asked if I was an invited worshiper. Saying no, I was directed to the rear of the church. Here two Secret Service Agents directed me to empty my pockets and provide my purse for inspection. I was then allowed to enter the Fellowship Hall.
When the Carters arrived at church, they came directly to Fellowship Hall where President Carter warmly greeted us. He asked that guests from across the USA identify their state of residence. That day there were people there from about half of the states. He then inquired about visitors from other countries and I was quite surprised to hear how many countries were represented.
At one point, I realized that Mrs. Carter was standing right at my elbow so I spoke briefly to her. She was as pleasant and warm as she had always appeared on TV.
President Carter taught the Sunday School lesson that day as he generally did. His message was very interesting and I was amazed that he spoke for an hour without any notes.
After the worship service, people wishing to have their picture taken with the Carters were instructed to form a line. As the attached picture shows, I took advantage of this opportunity, too.
I always admired this man, not for his politics, but for the values that he both espoused and lived. Most of us are aware of his physical participation in building or remodeling homes for Habitat for Humanity. Still living in the community of his birth, President Carter was an active member of his community, not just someone who lived there.
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he was chosen for the nuclear submarine program. Being among the best trained and educated nuclear professionals in the world, he
was ultimately sent by the USA to Canada’s Chalk River nuclear research facility when a power surge damaged its reactor. He and his team prevented a nuclear disaster.
Though not considered to be one of the historically greatest Presidents, his impact was far reaching. During his presidency, he was responsible for the Panama Canal treaties, the Camp David Accords, the treaty of peace between Egypt and Israel, the SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union, and the establishment of U.S. diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China.
In his spare time, he wrote 32 books. As the active head of the Carter Center, he worked to prevent disease, resolve conflict, promote democracy and protect human rights worldwide.
As he rests now on hospice in, perhaps, the last days of his life, he certainly has a lot of good memories to recount.
I’m so glad I had the chance to meet this down to earth, great man.