Rosalynn Carter fondly remembered at Glenn Memorial Church
When we take our leave of this world, we should hope to be remembered as fondly and reverently as Rosalynn Carter.
In doing so, she shrugged off criticism that she was overstepping traditional boundaries. “You can’t let it stop you,” she said about the opposition to the role she played in the administration, according to The New York Times. “I didn’t let it stop me.”
“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” former President Carter said in a statement on Sunday. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”
The Carters are often revered for their lifelong partnership in a marriage that lasted 77 years. They were married in 1946, and took up residence in Norfolk, while the future president served in the U.S. Navy; their first son was born in Portsmouth, Virginia.
The qualities common to Navy spouses — independence, loyalty, determination — would serve her well in the years to come as her husband won election as governor of Georgia before his plain-spoken charm connected with an electorate disillusioned with government after the Watergate scandal.
Rosalynn Carter was front and center throughout the administration, serving as a policy adviser and surrogate for the president on high-profile priorities. She played an important role in the peace negotiations between Israel and Egypt that led to the Camp David Accords and helped strengthen ties with Latin America.
But her primary passion while in public life was mental health, where she worked to expand access to care and eliminate the stigma associated with asking for help. As first lady of Georgia, she served on the Governor’s Commission to Improve Services to the Mentally and Emotionally Handicapped, work she continued in the White House where she served as honorary chair of the President’s Commission on Mental Health.
That resulted in passage of the Mental Health Systems Act in 1980, which expanded community mental health centers and provided a lifeline to millions of Americans in need of help, particularly in rural parts of the country.
She continued that work after her husband’s defeat in the 1980, presidential election with the same enthusiasm and passion as before. While the Carters accomplished much while in government, it can be argued that their dedication to improving mental health care, expanding democracy and alleviating homelessness through Habitat for Humanity has been similarly successful in improving the lives of their fellow citizens.
Still, it was her unique approach to the role of first lady that still shapes how presidential spouses operate in the White House. At a time when she was expected to take a back seat, she stepped forward and, in doing so, served the country with grace and determination.
To spend a life in such a way takes empathy. It takes compassion. And it takes courage. Rosalynn Carter possessed those qualities in abundance, and our nation is that much better for it.
This editorial originally appeared in the The Virginian-Pilot And Daily Press.
Opinion editorial published in the Orlando Sentinel, the Virginia Pilot and Daily Press:
While Jimmy Carter served as governor of Georgia and president, and after they returned to private life, Carter was an essential partner and a woman who gave freely of her time and energy to build a better world for all. At a time when empathy and compassion are in short supply, Carter displayed it in abundance, setting a laudable example we would all do well to emulate.
Rosalynn Carter was a different kind of first lady. While the president’s spouse often served as a confidant and sounding board, Carter made the role more muscular during the Carters’ four years in the White House. She ruffled feathers by sitting in on Cabinet meetings, acting as a policy adviser and using the unelected office to make progress on issues close to her heart.
Mrs. Carter, the former first lady, died at age 96, on Sunday, November 19, 2023, in Plains, Georgia. Her death elicited an outpouring of emotional tributes in honor of her remarkable public life — all richly deserved.
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| Glenn Memorial Methodist Church Memorial Service on the campus of Emery University |
While Jimmy Carter served as governor of Georgia and president, and after they returned to private life, Carter was an essential partner and a woman who gave freely of her time and energy to build a better world for all. At a time when empathy and compassion are in short supply, Carter displayed it in abundance, setting a laudable example we would all do well to emulate.
Rosalynn Carter was a different kind of first lady. While the president’s spouse often served as a confidant and sounding board, Carter made the role more muscular during the Carters’ four years in the White House. She ruffled feathers by sitting in on Cabinet meetings, acting as a policy adviser and using the unelected office to make progress on issues close to her heart.
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Rosalynn Carter (b. August 18, 1927- d. November 19, 2023) age 96 years old |
In doing so, she shrugged off criticism that she was overstepping traditional boundaries. “You can’t let it stop you,” she said about the opposition to the role she played in the administration, according to The New York Times. “I didn’t let it stop me.”
“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” former President Carter said in a statement on Sunday. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”
The Carters are often revered for their lifelong partnership in a marriage that lasted 77 years. They were married in 1946, and took up residence in Norfolk, while the future president served in the U.S. Navy; their first son was born in Portsmouth, Virginia.
The qualities common to Navy spouses — independence, loyalty, determination — would serve her well in the years to come as her husband won election as governor of Georgia before his plain-spoken charm connected with an electorate disillusioned with government after the Watergate scandal.
Rosalynn Carter was front and center throughout the administration, serving as a policy adviser and surrogate for the president on high-profile priorities. She played an important role in the peace negotiations between Israel and Egypt that led to the Camp David Accords and helped strengthen ties with Latin America.
But her primary passion while in public life was mental health, where she worked to expand access to care and eliminate the stigma associated with asking for help. As first lady of Georgia, she served on the Governor’s Commission to Improve Services to the Mentally and Emotionally Handicapped, work she continued in the White House where she served as honorary chair of the President’s Commission on Mental Health.
That resulted in passage of the Mental Health Systems Act in 1980, which expanded community mental health centers and provided a lifeline to millions of Americans in need of help, particularly in rural parts of the country.
She continued that work after her husband’s defeat in the 1980, presidential election with the same enthusiasm and passion as before. While the Carters accomplished much while in government, it can be argued that their dedication to improving mental health care, expanding democracy and alleviating homelessness through Habitat for Humanity has been similarly successful in improving the lives of their fellow citizens.
Still, it was her unique approach to the role of first lady that still shapes how presidential spouses operate in the White House. At a time when she was expected to take a back seat, she stepped forward and, in doing so, served the country with grace and determination.
To spend a life in such a way takes empathy. It takes compassion. And it takes courage. Rosalynn Carter possessed those qualities in abundance, and our nation is that much better for it.
This editorial originally appeared in the The Virginian-Pilot And Daily Press.
Labels: Georgia, Glenn Memorial Methodist Church, Portsmouth Virginia
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