Rosalynn Carter, a Woman to be Admired

Rosalynn Smith Carter

Today, Tuesday, November 28, 2023, has been a day of sadness and celebration in Georgia and around the country. A tribute service was held in Atlanta and the local TV stations carried much about the life of Rosalynn Carter, who was a role model for me and many women, especially in the south. 

My husband, Barry, and I were big fans of Jimmy Carter and supported his campaign for President. They were raised much the way I was. But they grew up in better financial conditions in Plains, Georgia, not far from Albany, Georgia which was my hometown. 

We had pride in the fact that a man from the South, who was a humble man, with a Southern wife who grew up with the same restrictions I did, was going to be the President of the United States. We often drove over to Plains on a weekend afternoon to watch a ballgame between the Secret Service men and others.

The little town was transformed into a tourist town with lots of strangers on the streets. We stopped in the stores and bought souvenirs like all the others who were there. I read everything about this couple and their family. 

Like many of us, Jimmy Carter had siblings who led completely different lives from Mr. and Mrs. Carter. His brother, Billy, was made a joke by the news media. His sister rode a motorcycle and was made to resemble a Hell's Angel by the media. I never saw them but I was sorry to hear in later years of their deaths from pancreatic cancer.

I still have a green and white campaign pin that says Vote For Jimmy Carter and a green and white hat I will show one day here. This couple of simple people who did not live in a ritzy home with gold fixtures in the bathroom, or own extravagant homes in other countries did not spend their time getting rich or richer in material things. Their eyes were always on how they could help others. Rosalynn didn't mind not being recognized for what she did. It seems to me that I hardly ever heard about her when some of her most important accomplishments were announced. Only at her tribute service did I learn how much she has done in her life. 

In a country where autocrats and self-serving people are too often elected to office, I hope the example of the Carters will somehow penetrate the minds, hearts, and souls of young men and women who will come to take their place as leaders of our country and the world. 

When I hear of bad happenings in the South, I think of the good, great people like Jimmy Carter and his beloved Rosalynn and remember the good folks I know who are not racists, not mean-hearted, who do not hate but are filled with concerns for those in need no matter their color, race, or circumstances. 

Truly it is more blessed to give than to receive, even if you can only give a smile and a kind hello. I have seen the saddest people respond with a big smile of gladness when I have taken the time to say hello and smile. It does something to us, physically, when we give what we can. It makes us feel better.