Jimmy Carter turns 100: Georgia and the world celebrate the president’s 39th birthday

“The last few months, 19 months, now that he’s been in hospice, it’s been a chance for our family to reflect,” said his grandson Jason Carter, “and then for the rest of the country and the world to really reflect on him. “. It was a really enjoyable time.”

A close-up of President Jimmy Carter addressing a town meeting. American flag in the background, 1979. (Bettmann/Getty Images)

The former president was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains, where he lived for more than 80 of his 100 years. He is expected to celebrate his birthday in the same one-story home he and Rosalynn built in the early 1960s – before his first election to the Georgia state Senate. The former first lady, also born in Plains, died last November at the age of 96. She is buried near a pasture on the property.

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The last time Jimmy Carter was seen in public was nearly a year ago, when he appeared at his wife’s funeral – the first time at the Carter Center at an event packed with U.S. leaders, the second time with his extended family and community members in the Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, where the former president taught Sunday school for decades.

Jason Carter said the 100th birthday celebration was not something the family expected after his grandmother’s death. The former president’s hospital bed had been placed in the same room so he could see his Wife of 77 years and talk to her in her final days and hours.

“We honestly didn’t think he was going to last much longer,” Jason Carter said. “But it’s a journey of faith for him, and he’s really committed to what he believes is God’s plan. He knows he’s not in charge. But especially in the last few months he has become much more involved with world events, much more involved in politics, much more, just emotionally, with all of us.

Celebrations of Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday

The celebrations for Carter’s birthday have been going on for weeks. The Carter Center hosted one in September musical gala in Atlanta to celebrate the former president with a range of genres and artists, including some who campaigned with him in 1976. The event raised more than $1.2 million for the center’s programs.

“He always loved music. We all went to concerts with them. You know, he always invited people to the White House, even back then to the Governor’s Mansion. And spent his life celebrating with music.” “So we thought it would be the perfect way to celebrate this unique 100th birthday,” said Jason Carter.

Plains residents have another concert planned for Tuesday evening.

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Trees Atlanta plans to plant 100 trees at the Carter Center and the Georgia State Capitol. The first tree will be planted at 10 a.m. at the Georgia State Capitol next to the Jimmy Carter statue. The second will be planted at noon in the Carter Center at the campus entrance.

While the family and Georgia were focused on Carter’s birthday, the former president had something else on his mind.

“When we started asking him about his 100th birthday, he said he was excited to vote for Kamala Harris,” Jason Carter said.

Early voting in Georgia begins Oct. 15, two weeks after James Earl Carter Jr. turns 101.