Citizen Carter

Please allow me to talk about my first.  The year was 1976 and I was a student at Florida State University.  I was blessed that by all accounts my first was with a decent, caring, lifelong citizen servant and someone who made a difference in an incredible life of service.

Of course, I am talking about the first person I ever voted for as President of the United States, and that candidates name was James Earl Carter. In fact, he was also the second person I voted for as President, yet that story ended a bit differently.

Living in a neighboring state from the president’s hometown of Plains, Georgia and running the video center on campus gave me enough excuses to visit Plains for multiple events.  I met the indomitable Ms. Lillian and other members of the Carter family over the next few years. 

A teacher for nearly a century, he would teach Sunday school for anyone who would show up to his class, and now he has taught many Americans about the meaning of hospice. I can’t help but think that there are calls by caregivers going out to physicians across the nation trying to find out if this is a good option for their loved ones.

This is no great surprise as he has been teaching by example since leaving Washington, D.C. over 40 years ago. A living testament to how former presidents should serve the nation and the world. A global citizen, he built houses for the needy and through the Carter Center, monitored elections in order to keep the outcomes fair across the world. He was even instrumental in the near eradication of the Guinea worm disease.

I met President Carter a few times at the Rosalynn Carter Institute’s annual gala in Americus, Georgia.  He was charming and gracious, while making sure that everyone around him was comfortable and kept at ease.

Mrs. Carter was an equal and powerful partner both as first lady and then as the founder of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers,  the leading voice advocating for caregiver support when we launched caregiver.com and Today’s Caregiver magazine in 1995, and now.  She graced the cover of the magazine more than once for interviews. 

In fact, if I could slightly betray a confidence, at the gala one year, President Carter asked a friend of mine who ran a section of a government agency with offices across the nation, if she ran a region of the nation or the whole country. Her response was that she “ran the entire country.” He smiled and said, “I used to do that too!”

A citizen leader in the best traditions of our democracy, after his time as a leader of the nation and the free world, he continued to serve the nation and the world as a global citizen.

A reminder to those who seek to lead us from either political party of the importance of decency, dedication, and service, and the importance of being a good person, as well as a great one.         

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