Campaign coordinator Phil Wise has had a long history with the former President Jimmy Carter, spanning his personal and political career. “I was born in Americus, grew up here in Plains. I was born in 1951, and Carter and his family returned to Plains in 1953, so his sons were basically my age.” Wise has many early memories of Carter. “In a small town like this you know everyone. I can’t remember when I first met Mr. Jimmy or Miss Rosalynn, but I just always knew them and I always knew their boys.

He shared a few recollections. “He taught me Sunday school for four years, and he and my dad were good friends, and any civic project in this town, they would be involved with together.”

For Wise, it came as a surprise to learn of Carter’s involvement in state politics. “All of the sudden one day I found out that my Sunday school teacher, my friend’s father, was running for state senate seat. That sounded like the presidency to me at that age.”

As Carter’s political career progressed, Wise also gained experience in politics. “He won, and I got to page for him once, in the legislature, and that sort of opened eyes a little bit more to politics. Then when he decided to run for governor in ’66, I wasn’t old enough to drive, but I would be put out on street corners with pamphlets and I would hand them out, and then when he ran the second time and won in 1970, I was a student at Georgia Tech, and state headquarters was close enough to the campus, and I could volunteer there almost every day.”

Wise eventually became a leader in the campaign. “When the presidential campaign started, I was the seventh of seven people hired for the presidential campaign. Then I ran all over the country for two years, helping to organize states, and then I served as a former secretary of the White House and helped them plan their return to Georgia in 1981.” Afterwards, Wise spent time in the private sector. He had another chance to support Carter again when he joined the Carter Center in 1994, before retiring two years ago.

Wise reflected on the vast number of experiences and opportunities he has had. “Any room I’ve walked into, I look around and I’ll feel like I’m the most blessed person there, and I hope everyone else in that room feels the same way about themselves. I’ve had wonderful opportunities that have come along because of my association with the Carters, and I’d like to feel like I’ve been a partner with them in so much of the good work that they’ve been able to do.”

When asked what made a relatively unknown figure able to win the White House, Wise replied; “I think part of it was just the timing. The Country, at that point, had the Vietnam War, you had Watergate.” Wise traced overall waning faith in politicians and the political system to Carter’s appeal. “He was not part of the insider group in Washington, and they saw him as someone they could trust.”

Wise contrasted Carter with the prior stereotype of the Southern politician, citing George Wallace and Lester Maddox as examples. “The juxtaposition of who Jimmy Carter was and what he stood for and what he did while he was governor was such a contrast that it was kind of a night and day comparison.” He credits Carter with courage for breaking the mold. “I think it took a hell of a lot of courage for Jimmy Carter to take the stands that he did.”

Wise shared another aspect of Carter’s legacy that was unique. “He was a progressive on social issues and a conservative on fiscal issues.”

He also shared his own feelings in the wake of Carter’s death. “This should be a celebration of someone who came from a small town, with small town values, and took it to the international level.”

For more stories about Jimmy Carter please go to www.americustimesrecorder.com/category/jimmy-carter/