As Jimmy Carter turns 100, former deputy chief of staff recounts their time in office
CAMERON PARK — Former President Jimmy Carter's 100th birthday is being celebrated far and wide, including in one Cameron Park home where his former deputy chief of staff lives.
Les Francis has a collection of photos showing him with Carter on Air Force One and in the White House. He recounted in one photo what they were eating in the White House dining room.
"They served lamb chops," Francis said. "I remember that because I don't like lamb and I don't like lamb chops."
Besides sharing meals, Francis shared his highest professional achievements in the Carter administration as the president's deputy chief of staff.
He still counts himself as a loyal Carter friend.
"With Carter, the loyalty went both ways. We were loyal," Francis said, "We were loyal to him and he was loyal to us. He stood by us. He stood behind us. He supported us."
Carter's centennial birthday was even sweeter because he began receiving hospice care more than a year ago.
"It's just proof the guy—he's amazing," Francis said. "He's an amazing human being, I mean, on all fronts."
He said that the week Carter entered hospice, the former president sent him a birthday card.
Last November, the former president also lost his wife, Rosalynn Carter, after 77 years of marriage.
Carter's legacy as a one-term president has grown over his lifetime.
Francis said that historians now credit the former president for doubling the number of U.S. national parks, championing human rights worldwide, and crafting the Camp David Accords, which brought peace between Israel and Egypt that still stands today.
"It is without question one of the most amazing accomplishments of any president in the area of foreign policy," Francis said.
Francis said the circle of people who talk to Carter directly now is very small and almost exclusively family members.