Jimmy Carter’s dedication to community, before and after presidency, something to be admired

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - It’s been nearly a week since the Carter Center announced that former President Jimmy Carter decided to get hospice care at home.

“There were many Georgians before him through the years going all the way back to the early years of the republic who aspired to be president. He’s the only one who made it,” Georgia Historical Society Senior Historian, Dr. Stan Deaton said.

Carter, America’s 39th president and the only one from the Peach State. Something Dr. Deaton said is an important accomplishment.

“He, of course, had already made his mark here. He had served in our state legislature, he had been governor. This was the last elected office he held, but as we know, he continued to make a huge impact here in Georgia and around the world in the years after his presidency,” he said.

Carter’s service to the country, both during and after his presidency, is something many people on both sides of the political aisle in Georgia can recognize.

“As a Georgian, I think I speak for all Georgians, we’re proud of what he’s accomplished. Even though, again, we may have differed on policies, we didn’t differ on the fact that he loved America, and that was obvious. He gave a great part of his life to America,” Rep. Buddy Carter (R – Georgia) said.

The former president’s deep roots in Georgia, making this news even tougher for people here locally, Deaton says.

“I think when we got the news that President Carter was going to be entering hospice, he is 98 years old, he’s lived a very long and a very good life, but there’s a sense of loss among the people here in Georgia,” Dr. Deaton said.

Carter’s dedication to his work is something politicians today continue to admire.

“He leads a great life, and an admirable life. His public service is something I think that all of us in public service aspire to emulate,” Rep. Carter said.

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