United States, Plains:
Jimmy Carter is celebrating his 100th birthday today. He is the first U.S. president to reach the 100-year milestone, another extraordinary milestone for the former peanut farmer who found his way to the White House.
Carter’s long life defied all odds, as she began hospice care at her home in Plains, Georgia, more than 19 months ago.
The former Democratic president, who no longer makes frequent public appearances, spends his birthdays in the Plains home he built in the 1960s with his late wife, Rosalyn. The celebration will include lunch with about 20 members of his extended family, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
President Joe Biden praised Carter as a “beloved friend” and “one of the most influential politicians” in U.S. history in a video posted to his official X account.
“Your unwavering belief in the power of human goodness remains a guiding light for all of us,” he said.
The White House lawn was decorated Tuesday with signs that read “Happy Birthday to President Carter.”
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said Britain’s King Charles III had sent a private telegram of congratulations expressing “his great admiration for the President’s lifelong work and public service.”
And Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who is currently overseeing the response to the major storm disaster, declared “Jimmy Carter Day” across the state.
little town
In addition to serving as commander-in-chief for one term from 1977 to 1981, Carter served as a global mediator, rights activist, and elder statesman, and in 1982 he joined the acclaimed US Army to pursue his vision of world diplomacy. Founded the High Carter Center.
His presidency included the 1978 Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, the establishment of diplomatic relations with China following the rapprochement initiated by President Richard Nixon, and the return of control of the Panama Canal to Panama. was included.
But his administration was beset by many challenges, including the Iran hostage crisis and the new oil crisis that brought Ronald Reagan to power in a landslide from 1979 to 1980.
“We’re thrilled that this small-town president will be the only president to live to be 100 years old,” Jill Stuckey, director of the National Park Service’s Jimmy Carter Historic Site and a longtime family friend, told AFP. he said.
She is from Plains High School, where Carter graduated in 1941, and now serves as a visitor center for the national park, which includes sites from Carter’s childhood memories, including the nearby peanut farm where Carter grew up.
On Tuesday, the school held a naturalization ceremony for 100 new U.S. citizens, who put their hands on their hearts and recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
“He did so much for America,” said Adriana Vickers, 46, from Brazil.
“He is for all his people,” Carleen Ford, another newly naturalized Jamaican, told AFP. “He is for everyone, for the people.”
As part of the town’s celebration, four F-18 fighter jets and two vintage airplanes took to the skies to grace the skies over the Plains.
“always” political
A devout Baptist and self-described “born again” Christian, Carter is remembered not only for his moral stance but also for his civility, admired even by detractors from across the aisle. Masu.
Carter remained deeply interested in politics and was very motivated to reach 100 years old and vote for fellow Democrat Kamala Harris in November’s election, her family said.
“He’s going to vote by post,” Stuckey told AFP, adding: “He’s always been very active politically and nothing has changed in that regard.”
The mayor attended the naturalization ceremony, and attendees were encouraged to register to vote.
In the Plains, like many rural areas with a strong evangelical Christian bent, there are far more yard signs supporting Republican Donald Trump than Harris.
But it’s not uncommon to see signs celebrating Carter’s 100th birthday next to pro-Trump signs.
Carl Rowell, who has lived in the Plains since he was a child, said he tries to stay out of politics because it’s “very divisive” right now.
Like most Plains residents, the 59-year-old former firefighter is related to Carter in more ways than one. In addition to helping the Carter family build buildings, his grandfather also went dove hunting with Carter.
“Jimmy is a good man, a godly man, and that’s what people like about him,” he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)