dbeard@dominionpost.com
MORGANTOWN – As America and the world mourn the passing of former President Jimmy Carter, local residents offered some thoughts celebrating his legacy.
Crissy Estep directs WVU’s International Studies Program and its Honors Experiential and Community Engaged Learning Program. She had the privilege of meeting Carter several times – in Atlanta and in his hometown of Plains, Ga. She also served as a Carter Center election monitor in Tunisia’s first democratic presidential election in 2014.
“What struck me about him was, he was really good at anything he attempted to do,” she said. He was talented as an artist, author and diplomat.
The Carter Center has two focuses, she said: health programs focusing on six neglected tropical diseases, including the Guinea worm, which is nearly eradicated; and peace programs, including election monitoring.
As a monitor, she worked in Tunisia leading up to and on election day. The team visited a variety of polling places to observe and to watch the tabulation of the votes.
“His post-presidency work is what is so impressive, with the work of the Carter Center through the peace programs and the health programs,” Estep said.
Sen. Bob Beach
In the summer of 2014, Beach, who was a state senator representing Monongalia County at the time, and three other West Virginia senators had the opportunity to meet Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter in Plains.
“Even as they approached their nineties,” he said, “the Carters maintained a very active schedule, so it wasn’t a casual drop-in. The dinner was scheduled weeks in advance. It was a relaxed evening that included a close friend of theirs who managed the bed-and-breakfast where we met. President Carter insisted on a casual dress code: blue jeans and BBQ. The evening was indeed very relaxed, so much so that even his Secret Service detail joined us for dinner.
“Upon meeting the Carters, you quickly realize how special their relationship is. At one point, I had a few moments alone with Mrs. Carter and asked her how she and the President had met. As she explained, it quickly became clear how deeply connected they were, both professionally and personally. Their respect and love for each other were undeniable. I doubt they ever had a secret they couldn’t share or a project they didn’t tackle together.
“Later, we had the opportunity to sit around the kitchen table and chat with President Carter about past and current events. He was remarkably sharp. He naturally led the conversation, not in a domineering way, but with a humble and gentle voice. While my questions were brief, I most enjoyed how easily he commented on current events and his steadfast loyalty to the office of the president. You never heard him speak ill of anyone who held the office. The topics were broad, including the Middle East and the Keystone Pipeline, among others. His understanding of even the smallest details highlighted his seemingly effortless ability to identify a problem. I suspect this was partly due to his engineering background.
“I left Plains with a better understanding of this reserved yet passionate president. His intellect was clearly among the highest of any president, but I believe that wasn’t necessarily the leadership skill he relied on daily. He had a kind heart — they both did. I think he led with his heart. That evening in Plains was just one small example of how a farmer from a rural southern state rose to lead the most powerful nation in the world. His intelligence allowed him to navigate the complex problems a president faces, but he never forgot his rural roots and his understanding of the challenges Americans face. President Carter proved that compassion and empathy are invaluable when leading a nation.
Elaine McVay
McVay is executive director of Mon Valley Habitat for Humanity, serving Monongalia, Preston and Marion counties. She pointed out that Carter was involved in building 4,447 house across more than 35 years. “It’s truly an amazing number.”
Those projects drew 108,000 volunteers, she said. “He used his stature to call attention to the need for safe, affordable housing without calling attention to himself. He really brought that issue to the forefront in the way that an elder statesman would do.
“People recognized him and they wanted to build with him,” McVay said. Creating that positive awareness about the need for housing is something that only someone in his shoes could do. “It’s very valuable for Habitat as an organization.”
Sen. Mike Caputo
Caputo, D-Marion, passed along a reminiscence by UMWA President Cecil Roberts, chronicled in a May 1978 New York Times article.
Carter was in Charleston on May 26 that year, the Times said, fulfilling a promise he made three months before, when the nation was in the midst of its longest coal strike. On May 26 he announced that a 13‐member Commission on the Coal Industry would conduct a one‐year study of the labor‐management relations in the mines.
Carter was making a political fund‐raising stopover, the Times reported, and announced that then-Gov. Jay Rockefeller would head the commission. The article elaborated on the hasty formation and unwieldiness of the commission.
It said, “Mr. Rockefeller, who is 40 years old and is experiencing a troublesome, Carter‐like decline in popularity here in his second year in office, was reportedly reluctant to accept the responsibility for an undertaking that appeared unpromising on its face. Mr. Rockefeller’s acceptance of the post was not settled until last night, and he did not speak of it today as he accompanied Mr. Carter during the President’s Visit here.”
Jorge Atiles
Atiles is associate vice president and dean of WVU’s Division for Land Grant Engagement. He said in a WVU release, “President Jimmy Carter was instrumental to the success and widespread efforts of Habitat for Humanity. Extension housing and resource management specialists across the nation partnered with Habitat to help families access affordable housing in their communities. President Carter also exemplified civic engagement and showed the world how to promote democratic elections while serving as an international electoral observer for many nations.”
