'Down to Earth': Decades-long friend shares stories of former President Jimmy Carter
PLAINS, Ga. -- The tight-knit community of Plains, Georgia, is reflecting on the time they have had with Former President Jimmy Carter.
The 98-year-old was born and raised in Plains where he's now receiving end-of-life care.
WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren spoke with one of Carter's friends in Plains.
Philip Kurland estimates he has 1,100 different Jimmy Carter pins on hand.
He collects and sells political memorabilia from his store on Main Street. He's known the former president and his wife, Rosealyn, for 30 years.
"They're as down to Earth as down to Earth can be," Kurland said.
Kurland remembers a time when Carter visited him at home after a stay in the hospital.
"I got really sick and he came and sat with me for an hour," Kurland said.
Kurland said he was sad to learn that Carter entered hospice care but believes it's also a time for joy.
"I want them to celebrate a life well done," Kurland said.
Carter's legacy is now on the minds of many residents in Plains and around the world.
In Nashville, Tennessee, that legacy is children playing in this neighborhood.
Four years ago, Carter joined 1,500 volunteers to help build 21 houses.
His first day in town he fell, but still showed up to work.
"There's nothing glamorous about coming out to a Habitat build site and working all day long for five days," said Sherry Stinson, from Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville. "He's the true sense of a servant leader."
At the Carter Center in Atlanta, visitors learn about his Programs for Peace, Fair Elections Overseas and fighting deadly diseases like the guinea worm in Africa.
One visitor had a message for the former president.
"You have nothing to prove, nothing to show," the visitor said. "You just enjoy your last moments and we'll celebrate them, too."
Related coverage:
- Former President Jimmy Carter impacted many, including Marylanders, through Habitat for Humanity
- 'He cared about people': Plains, Georgia community impacted by Former President Carter, who entered hospice care
- Jimmy Carter receiving hospice care, Carter Center says
- 'He is amazingly strong': On President's Day, Jimmy Carter honored in Georgia hometown
