One Reason Jimmy Carter Is My Favorite President
Thursday, March 22nd, 2007
I’m not sure what prompted me to actually attempt writing to a former President, but I feel it was probably my most successful attempt to date. I sent my request to President Carter on August 14, 1985. Although his birthday was not until October 1st, I sent along a birthday card anyway, explaining that my birthday was one day after his – and it didn’t seem too far away. He responded by sending me the letter below along with a beautiful 8 x 10 photo on high-quality photographic paper. I received this on August 28 – and he apparently agreed that our birthdays didn’t seem too far away either – as you will note from the inscription. Read the rest of this entry »
It was sad to hear of President Gerald R. Ford’s passing yesterday at the age of 93 – just a month and a half after he surpassed Ronald Reagan’s record as the longest living President. Those not familiar with the history of the time period might assume that Ford did very little to advance the country – especially since he was the only President not to be elected to office. But during two visits to the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Lansing, Michigan, I learned otherwise. 
Following our daylong trip to Savannah (which followed two trips to Plains and Americus and one to Warm Springs), Ashleigh and I were pleased to be able to take a few hours of our Georgia trip to just sleep in, relax, swim, and take in a few sights leisurely.
Continuing with Ashleigh’s and my Georgia trip in July, 2006… It soon became apparent to us that it was not the wisest of moves to take the pre-convention trip on Monday, July 10. If you remember, we had left Plains on Sunday afternoon, drove to Warm Springs, and then made the lengthy jaunt across Georgia to Augusta…only to get up early the next morning to get on a bus and drive all the way back to Plains! 
After leaving Plains this past summer, Ashleigh, Bob, and I made our way to northwest Georgia to visit the Little White House in Warm Springs. This house was built for Franklin Roosevelt in 1932 after he had come to this town to experience the naturally warm flowing waters that were soothing to his polio-stricken body. He enjoyed it so much here that he often visited it as a retreat during his Presidency.