FPP-0042.
President Jimmy Carter interviewed by
Sybil Carter.
February 21, 2014.
In this interview, Sybil Carter (widow of
President Carter's brother,
Billy) talks with President Carter about his life in
Plains, Georgia, and his career since serving as
US President.
Carter discusses the renovation of the
Plains Historic Inn, where each room is decorated in the style of a decade of Carter's life. He also talks about other historic buildings and locations in Plains, such as the old
Plains High School (now designated the
State High School of
Georgia), the old railroad depot that was his campaign headquarters, and Billy's service station.
Carter discusses his early life and family in Plains, including growing up on a farm in the rural community of
Archery, the effects of the
Great Depression, and the hobos who would frequently stop by his mother's kitchen. Carter talks about his mother's work as a registered nurse in the
Wise Sanitarium and also her work as a private duty nurse, working 20-hour days at some points for
African American families. He discusses both of his parents' views on race relations. Carter also talks about his father's influence on him and remembers joining his father on hunting and fishing trips, learning from father how to play tennis, and his father's role as a deacon in the church. Carter discusses how he and his sisters lives differed, as he worked in the fields and they primarily helped around the house.
Carter talks about spending time today with his extended family of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He talks about his marriage to Rosalynn and what they have done to make their marriage succeed. He offers advice to young people who might be interested in public office, and describes his own early involvement in his community through groups such as the
Boy Scouts and the
Lions Club.
President Carter and Sybil talk about their memories of Billy (d.
1988), including working with him in the peanut business, playing softball with him during the
1976 election, and Billy's skill at memorizing statistics and placing strategic bets.
Carter talks about his involvement with
Habitat for Humanity and describes a memorable experience on a build in the
Philippines. He discusses his decision to walk down
Pennsylvania Avenue to the
White House after his inauguration as an attempt "to heal the relationship between the government and the people." He remembers his mother's famous "Which one?" comment (when asked on the day of the inauguration if she was proud of her son), and discusses his own proudest moment of his presidency as the successful negotiation of the
Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty of
1979.
From
First Person Project at the
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies. For more First Person Project interviews, see
http://bit.ly/1lx06LR or visit our SoundCloud page: https://soundcloud.com/russelllibraryoralhistory/sets/fpp_highlights
- published: 10 Mar 2014
- views: 1822