Covering President Jimmy Carter

Published 12:29 pm Monday, January 27, 2025

I was never able to meet President Jimmy Carter. I came close to seeing him once. I was covering the parade during the Plains Peanut Festival. The Carter’s made a last-minute entrance and joined the procession. I was close by, but only found out about the appearance afterward.

Aside from what I’ve learned from reading An Hour Before Daylight, most of what I know about President Carter comes from meeting the people he knew.

People have varying opinions on Carter’s political accomplishments. He has received wide praise for his humanitarian efforts. But talking with people from his hometown, there was one accomplishment people kept repeating. It was not the time he led a mission to stop a nuclear meltdown in Canada, or how he brokered peace in the Middle East. When locals talk about Carter, one virtue takes center stage. He was a good friend.

There are other accomplishments that stick with me. I’ve read about The Camp David Accords. I even talked with a member of the White House Communications Agency who was there. Interviewing Adam Weiss, director of the guinea worm eradication work at the Carter Center, brought into sharp focus just how much good Carter accomplished leading the effort to eradicate such a debilitating parasite.

But while I think of many of these accomplishments, the fact that so many people widely remember him as a good friend captures my attention the most. Headlines regularly feature a new, well-loved public figure who turns out to be less lovable in private. Being a friend to God and others seems a much rarer quality than leadership, courage, or talent.

From what I can tell, Carter’s love for others appears to be infectious. I cannot recall all those who knew Carter who shared a similar love for others, a love which appeared to only grow deeper through his friendship.

Out of those inspired by Carter, I would be remiss if I left out The Carter Center. Everyone was incredibly helpful, braving the cold and wind along-side reporters to help ensure that Carter’s story was told.

Carter will be known for many accomplishments. What impresses me is that he was able to accomplish so much, while still being a friend to so many. I believe friendship, and the importance he placed on it, is the part of Carter’s legacy that we most need to emulate.