Jimmy Carter passed away yesterday. He lived a good long life, and did a lot of good things along the way, too. But why would I talk about an American President on a Mennonite blog? Well, there are two reasons, really. First, because in 1977, he pardoned the Conscientious Objectors or “Draft Dodgers” from the Vietnam War. And second, because we visited the Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta this past year, where I learned that there was a lot more to his story than just being a great guy who helps with Habitat for Humanity (which, to me, is already very great).
I don’t remember a lot so I will lean heavily on pictures from our trip.
There was a whole gallery depicting the different eras of his life. In the middle of the picture below is a huge picture of Jimmy in a field with the heading “Farm Family”.
I think what appealed to so many people about Jimmy Carter was how down to earth he was. He did not hide that he was from a farming background. Peanuts, to be exact:
And you have to love his campaign slogan: “My name is Jimmy Carter — and I’m running for President.” Just tells it like it is.
Andrew and I were surprised to discover this:
It is a book called Moral Man And Immoral Society: A Study in Ethics And Politics by Reinhold Niebuhr. Apparently Niebuhr was one of Carter’s favourite authors.
Jimmy Carter was President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 — but his impact has exceeded his tenure in the Oval Office, as he dedicated his life to bettering the world as best he could. He was blessed with a long life, and did a lot with it.
For example, I learned that in the years following his Presidency, he and his wife Rosalynn served as International Observers with The Carter Center during elections where maybe things were sketchy. We saw the ID badges he and Rosalynn wore for many elections in countries around the world. Here are some of the things written in the display we saw: “Sample Ballots: In many nations, producing clear simple ballots is a challenge for election officials. Indonesian voters chose among more than 40 political parties and thousands of candidates in the 2009 elections.” By a display of vests, it says: “Observer Wear. The presence of election observers often reassures voters at polling places.”
We also saw Jimmy Carter’s Grammy:
Yeah! In addition to everything else, Jimmy Carter won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album 2006 for “Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis” — a speech he delivered, that was then recorded and apparently released as an album!
The Carter Presidential Library is pretty intense:
Three floors of files, all behind glass! This is where we learned that President Carter also pardoned Conscientious Objectors! (Or, “draft dodgers” as the newspaper article describes them, below.)
The actual document (or, a copy of it?) was right next to this Post article. The descriptor says, “The day after his inauguration, Jimmy Carter granted a pardon to tens of thousands of young men who evaded the draft during the Vietnam War.”
The grounds of the Center are very beautiful as well, studded with flowers and statues. One statue is called Sightless Among Miracles, and it is here because the Carter Center has worked to eliminate River Blindness, which had been common in many parts of the world. The statue was erected in 1995 and noted “the demise of this ancient scourge is in sight, thanks to a drug donated by Merck and Company and distributed to millions of people by The Carter Center”. If the end was in sight in 1995, I wonder if it has been eliminated entirely by now.
There are so many beautiful, peaceful spots at the Carter Center, that you can forget you’re in a massive city. Sometimes you can see Atlanta’s skyscrapers in the distance.
I’m grateful that Jimmy Carter existed. I think he made the world a better place in many ways. May he rest in peace.
