Arts & Entertainment
President, Peanut Farmer and Sunday School Teacher
J
ames Earl Carter, Jr., the 39th President
of the United States, was born on Octo-
ber 1, 1924 in the tiny town of Plains,
Georgia. His father, James, Sr., was a
farmer and businessman, and his mother,
Lillian Gordy Carter, was a registered
nurse.
Jimmy was educated in the public school
of Plains, attended Georgia Southwestern
College and the Georgia Institute of Tech-
nology, and received a Bachelor of Science
degree from the United States Naval Acad-
emy in 1946. On July 7th of that year, he
married his childhood sweetheart, Rosalynn
Smith of Plains.
In the Navy, he became a submariner,
serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific
fleets and rising to the rank of lieutenant.
Chosen by Admiral Hyman Rickover for the
nuclear submarine program, he was
assigned to Schenectady, New York, where
he did graduate work at Union College in
reactor technology and
nuclear physics while serving
as senior officer of the pre-
commissioning crew of the
Seawolf.
When his father died in
1953, he resigned his naval
commission and returned
with his family to Georgia.
He took over the Carter
farms, and he and Rosalynn
operated Carter’s Warehouse,
a general-purpose seed and
farm supply company located in Plains.
He soon became a leader of the communi-
ty, serving on county boards supervising
education, the hospital authority, and the
library. In 1962 he entered politics, winning
election to the Georgia Senate, before
becoming Georgia’s 76th governor on Janu-
ary 12, 1971.
Jimmy Carter was inaugurated President
of the United States on January 20, 1977.
Significant foreign policy accomplishments
of his administration included the Panama
Canal treaties, the Camp David Accords, the
treaty of peace between Egypt and Israel,
the SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union,
and the establishment of U.S. diplomatic
relations with the People’s Republic of
China.
On the domestic side, the administration’s
achievements included a comprehensive
energy program conducted by a new
Department of Energy; deregulation in
energy, transportation, communications,
and finance; major educational programs
under a new Department of Education; and
C ELEBRITY
I NTERVIEW
by Kam
Williams
major environmental protection legislation,
including the Alaska National Interest
Lands Conservation Act. While in office, he
also championed human rights throughout
the world.
In 1982, he became University Distin-
guished Professor at Emory University in
Atlanta, Georgia, and founded The Carter
Center to engage in conflict mediation all
over the world. In addition, the Center has
monitored 83 elections in the Americas,
Africa, and Asia.
The permanent facilities of
The Carter Presidential Cen-
ter include the Jimmy Carter
Library and Museum, admin-
istered by the National
Archives. The Jimmy Carter
National Historic Site in
Plains, administered by the
National Park Service, is
open to visitors, too.
Jimmy and Rosalynn vol-
unteer for Habitat for Humanity annually,
helping needy people renovate and build
homes. And on the Sabbath, they teach Sun-
day school at Maranatha Baptist Church of
Plains.
For relaxation, President Carter enjoys
fly-fishing, woodworking and swimming.
The Carters have three sons, one daughter,
nine grandsons, three granddaughters, two
great-grandsons, and four great-grand-
daughters.
In 2002, President Carter was awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize “for his decades of untir-
ing effort to find peaceful solutions to
international conflicts, to advance democra-
cy and human rights, and to promote
economic and social development.” The
author of 25 books, here, he talks about his
latest, NIV Lessons from Life Bible.
The ‘NIV
Lessons from
Life Bible’
Interview
KW: Editor/legist Patri-
cia Turnier asks: What
message do you think peo-
ple will take away from the
Lessons from Life Bible?
JC: I think that what peo-
ple will get out of these
comments in the Bible, and
also out of my previous
book [Through the Year
with Jimmy Carter: 366
Daily Meditations from the
39th President] is how perti-
nent, how important and
how applicable the ancient
texts are to our modern-day
life. That’s what I try to
emphasize in all my Sunday school lessons
when I teach at Maranatha Baptist Church.
So, I think the main message to remember is
that we must accommodate changing times
while clinging to unchanging moral values.
That’s why I say the aim is to apply the text
to modern-day life.
KW: Patricia also asks: Are you interest-
ed in writing a memoir focusing on your
more recent accomplishments?
JC: I’ve already written a book about my
more recent accomplishments. It’s called
Beyond the White House. http://www.ama-
zon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B003A02QU4/
ref%3dnosim/thslfofire-20
KW: Leon Marquis says: You have done
more good after leaving office than any
other United States President, from travel-
ing the world, to certifying free and open
President Jimmy Carter
elections, to working with Habitat for
Humanity, to traveling to North Korea. You
have become the “Soul of American Diplo-
macy.” My question is: Why can’t the other
ex-presidents get it right?
JC: Well, I wouldn’t say they’re wrong,
Leon, because each one of us is an individ-
ual, just like talk show hosts are different
from one another, and newspaper colum-
nists are different from each other. So,
former presidents are different from each
other, too. Some have gone into relative
seclusion. Some have decided to teach. In
fact, I’m finishing my 30th year as a profes-
sor at Emory University. I’ve found it very
enjoyable and very beneficial to me to keep
active. But I wouldn’t criticize any presi-
dent who has chosen to take a different
route.
See CARTER on page 12
Kam Williams: Hi President Carter, I’m
really honored to have another opportunity
to speak with you.
President Carter: It’s a pleasure for me,
too, Kam. Thank you!
May 23, 2012 The Portland Skanner Page 9