December 31st 2024.
I have always been fond of saying that President Jimmy Carter was my first U.S. President. It's a bit of a technicality, as I was born in 1970, and President Richard Nixon was in office at that time. But it was President Carter's inauguration in 1977 that is forever etched in my memory as my first experience of a first family moving into the White House.
I still remember the day vividly when I heard the news of President Carter's passing. It was a Sunday, and I was reading the Associated Press article that stated: "Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old." I couldn't help but feel a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat. The longest-lived American president passed away at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he and his beloved wife Rosalynn, who passed away in November 2023 at the age of 96, had spent most of their lives. It was a sad day for the nation.
I was only six years old and in first grade when my teacher, Mrs. Paula Swanson, gathered our class on the stage area of our school gymnasium. We watched on a color TV, placed on a high wheeled cart, as President Carter was sworn in. For my young mind, it was fascinating to know that not only was our new president a farmer, but a peanut farmer at that! As a lover of peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches on toast, I found it easy to embrace President Carter and his family.
My classmates and I were also well-informed about the Carter family because of the first newspaper I ever read, "The Weekly Reader." This beloved publication, which was founded in 1928, provided elementary students with top news from around the world. I was always eager to devour its pages and learn about people and events. It's a shame that it ceased publication in 2012.
One of the things that made it easy for kids to relate to the Carters was that they had a daughter named Amy, who was only nine years old when her father was elected to the White House. My siblings and I were around the same age, so it was exciting to have a peer in the first family. The Weekly Reader kept us updated on Amy's every move, along with her famous political parents. Unfortunately, the media, TV comedians, and talk show hosts were not always kind to Amy, continuing a tradition that had started with Margaret Truman and later with Chelsea Clinton. As a result, Amy chose to stay out of the public eye after her family left the White House.
It wasn't until just a year ago that Amy made some rare public appearances, at the age of 56. She delivered a touching tribute to her mother during Rosalynn's funeral services. Her three older brothers, who are now in their 70s, are more involved with The Carter Center, which was founded by their parents in Atlanta, Georgia.
I have another fond memory of the Carters from 1977 when I watched a TV special called "Lucy Calls the President" with my family. It was the last time actresses Vivian Vance and Lucille Ball were reunited on CBS. While I only saw it once as a child, I still remember one detail from the story, where Lucy's character plans to have President Carter stop by her home for a photo opportunity. However, we never actually see or hear the president in the show, except for a scene where Lucy pretends to be talking to him on the phone. On the other hand, President Carter's mother, Lillian Carter, does make a brief cameo appearance. The other thing I remember from the show was Lucy's impressive sheet cake decorated with a frosting portrait of President Carter, complete with roasted peanuts for teeth.
Many years later, in October 1998, I had the privilege of interviewing President Carter at the Borders bookstore in Chicago. I still consider it one of the highlights of my journalism career. I had the opportunity to sit down with the former president and discuss his 13th book, "The Virtues of Aging," which focused on living and enjoying retirement. At the age of 74, with a kind and welcoming nature, President Carter shared his thoughts with me. He said, "I'm proud of how hard I have fought for human rights, but I most want to be remembered as a good husband, father, and church member." It truly showed the kind of person he was.
When critics questioned the merits of aging, President Carter, who lived to be 100, had a perfect response. "Consider the alternative," he said with a smile. I will never forget that full-circle moment, from being a young boy reading about President Carter in my classroom to interviewing him face-to-face as a journalist.
Philip Potempa will always be a journalist, published author, and the director of marketing at Theatre at the Center. If you'd like to reach him, you can email him at
[email protected].
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