I was on my first newspaper job in 1978 just outside Pittsburgh, Pa., when President Jimmy Carter came to town.

He spoke at a steel mill — one of many that faced tremendous pressure from foreign steel imports. I no longer can find a copy of my article, but I still have my “Visit of the President” press pass.

Nearly 25 years later, President Carter is coming to the town where I edit the local newspaper. The times and the place could not be more different, but the reasons for his visits are similar.

The president will be here next week to help build a house in the Jimmy Carter Work Project and to promote the work of Habitat for Humanity. He visited the steel mill to express support for steelworkers who were losing their jobs.

He was the first president I voted for when I was 20. Four years later, I voted for him again, but many of my friends chose John B. Anderson because they liked neither Carter nor Ronald Reagan.

Today, it might be hard to find anyone who remembers Anderson, but everyone knows Jimmy Carter, and not just in Georgia but throughout the world.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner has done more as a former president than some presidents accomplish in office. And even his presidential tenure is now being reconsidered as far more successful than people wanted to concede at the time.

Young people today cannot imagine America in 1976. Despite the bicentennial celebration, we were still reeling from the disappointments of Vietnam and the shame of the Watergate scandal. Many voters could not forgive Gerald Ford for pardoning Richard Nixon.

But during Carter’s term, the economy was in a shambles — inflation, recession, shortages of gasoline. They were not good times. Then came the Iranian hostage situation, which haunted the final days of his presidency and probably cost him the election.

Yet later we would learn of charges that Reagan’s operatives had made a deal with Iran to delay the release the hostages after the election in return for the secret sale of arms.

Instead of being bitter or reclusive after the nation’s rejection, Carter has spent his life since 1980 showing how much good a person can accomplish. Being a former head of state allows him to do things you and I cannot, but his work with Habitat reflects abilities all of us share.

It’s inspiring to see a former president help build a house for low-income people, especially when you realize he’s 78 years old and has been doing it annually for nearly 20 years.

His dedication to the Carter project mirrors a sincere and humble value system, evident in a Biblical quote he used in his inauguration address. He took the oath of office on a Bible opened to what he called a “timeless admonition” from the prophet Micah: “He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.” (Micah 6:8).

Millions in the world have reason to thank this modest man for his contributions to their lives, whether he is helping to build peace or houses. Twenty-five Valdosta families will join those ranks next week when their homes are completed June 13.



Ron Wayne is the editor of The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be reached at 244-3400, ext. 229, or e-mailed at ron.wayne@gaflnews.com.