The night after we took my mom and grandma to Kennesaw Mountain and the MLK, Jr. Historic Site, they were looking at our Passport Book to see where else we could take them!  I’m not sure if they were really as into the Passport program as we were, or if they were just being supportive, but not one of us will ever regret the decision we made that evening.  The plan was to wake up early and drive to Plains, Georgia and Andersonville, Georgia.

Plains, Georgia held quite a surprise for us.  To be quite honest, I am pretty sure that Plains is the smallest town I have ever visited.  As you enter this close-knit town, you are greeted by a giant smiling peanut.  Apparently, the peanut was made by three Indiana residents in preparation for Carter’s 1976 political visit and donated to the city of Plains afterward.  Plains High School, which was actually an elementary school as well, was the public school that Jimmy, his wife, all of their siblings and some of their children attended.  A segregated school at the time Jimmy attended, the school closed it’s doors in 1979.  Today it stands as the park’s headquarters, and contains a restored classroom and auditorium as well as a great deal of information about Mr. Carter and his wife, Rosalynn.  As I visited and learned about the Carters, I was not only impressed by the amazing accomplishments and impact that they have had worldwide, but I also greatly admired the their seemingly humble and unassuming nature.

In addition to visiting Jimmy’s boyhood home, driving past his current residence (mainly just a view of the Secret Service quarters), and other parts of his hometown, our highlight occurred at our original stop – the high school.  Damon overheard the park ranger saying that Mr. Carter would be at the school auditorium in a couple hours to speak to a tour group arriving by train from Cordele, Georgia.  Apparently, anyone was welcome to join in!  We were VERY excited!  So, we ate lunch in Plains at Mom’s Kitchen and hurried back to the school.

Mr. Carter arrived in jeans and tennis shoes and spoke to us in a personal and casual manner about his childhood, life in Plains, and his family.  According to another visitor, Mr. Carter rode his bicycle to the school to speak with us that day!  The way Mr. Carter spoke and the “normalcy” he exudes made it easy to forget that the man standing 20 feet from me was accompanied by Secret Service agents, won a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, and once led our country (in addition to many other things).  It was enjoyable and reminded me of talks with my own grandfather.

Below is a short clip that Damon recorded during his 20-minute talk.  In the clip, Mr. Carter is initially talking about some of his  farms and then he shares how he met and came to marry his wife.

National Park Service website: http://www.nps.gov/jica/

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