I traveled from Prescott to DC to attend the lying-in-state of President Jimmy Carter. Apparently a lot of people traveled to see him. It turned out to be a somber event, but not sad.
I arrived at the Capitol rotunda early on the main day of his lying-in. I hoped the line wouldn’t be too long, but there was none to get into the Capitol and only a short line within it. DC’s worst snow in six years the day before probably had an effect.
The authorities were clearly expecting huge crowds. That meant zigzag waiting-line grids set four deep and a half block long. It was something to see the determination of some of those attending; probably about two-thirds were older, a good few with canes or walkers. Once in the Capitol, again it was long zigzag setups and up and down stairs four times to get to the rotunda. Elevators were available for those in wheelchairs, but not for others.
The mood was respectful but not grieving. The people I talked with and heard around me were more in the mode of sharing their memories of Carter.
There was David Weiner of DC, originally from Ohio, like myself. He was a young man when Carter was president. His brother stayed very involved in politics there. David admired Carter for who he was and how he was who he was.
Chris Calvert and his partner were there from Maryland. Chris was a teenager when Carter was president. He loves to spend time in the National Wilderness Areas and was especially glad for the expansions of that system that Carter added. As was nicely summarized by a national hunting oganization, “Carter signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, effectively doubling the size of the National Parks System by adding 33 million acres of designated wilderness. Carter’s legacy accounts for approximately thirty percent of the 111 million acres of designated wilderness in the US.”
Chris used to attend the Christmas-tree lighting in DC. The first year he saw Carter, rather than just do the official flipping of the switch, walk over to the platform where the entertainers and hosts were, chat with them, then walk through the crowd to the platform with the ceremonial lightswitch. For the next few years Chris would get there early and be in position to see Carter within a few feet as he walked through the crowd.
The rotunda viewing was nicely done. People could flow around either side in a wide circle, so some could just pass through, and many who wanted to linger awhile could. Again, no one seemed to be in true mourning, but rather in respect, and in thoughtfulness.
Later that day crowds did come to the capitol. ABC News reported that “thousands” were waiting in line. The line had backed up through all the zigzag waiting-line passages, out of the Capitol grounds, and one report had it starting a block and a half before even reaching the grounds. There were reports, late into the night, of the line taking three to five hours to go through.
My memory of him is from my early twenties, when Carter became president, and I was living in inner-city Baltimore doing religious-based social work. While the religious phase didn’t last, the desire to be part of things improving generally for people continues, and there are people and events in any of our lives that influence maintaining that hope. While there were people closer to me who were part of that, and other figures of moral leadership — Dr. King, the almost saintly Cesar Chavez — Carter, in my mind was in that group, and so impactful because he achieved the presidency. While he didn’t hang onto it, and his inexperience with national politics sometimes limited him, he showed that someone can be a president, lead in profound ways, and do it all as a moral person of character.
To me that puts him right at the top of the greatest people of modern times. Thank you, President Carter, for that kind of greatness. Because of you it cannot be said that a moral person of character can’t lead the nation. You proved otherwise.
