President Jimmy Carter turned 100 years old on Tuesday.
The 39th U.S. president has the distinction of becoming far more esteemed as a public figure since he left office in 1981. He is renowned for his inspiring dedication to public service for more than four decades, building shelter for the needy, teaching Sunday school, writing books, and setting a laudable example through his generous spirit.
Carter’s lifelong selflessness is the stuff of legend.
As a young Naval officer, he risked his life to help after an accident at a new experimental nuclear reactor in Chalk River, Canada. Along with 23 others, Carter worked in 90-second shifts to help clean it out and make sure the reactor was fully shut down.
Just one day after falling in his home and receiving 14 stitches in 2019, a 95-year-old Carter was back in Nashville, Tennessee, building homes with Habitat for Humanity.
“I fell down and hit my forehead on a sharp edge and I had to go to the hospital,” Carter told reporters while sporting a bandage and a black eye. “But I had a No. 1 priority and that was to come to Nashville to build houses!”
Through it all, Carter has stood strong in his liberal beliefs, and taken even more progressive stances over the years. And he has done so without compromising his values and integrity.
The Carter family during the 1980 National Democratic Convention held at New York City’s Madison Square Garden in 1980
Carter and his late wife Rosalynn were married for more than 76 years until her death in 2023. Reflecting on the storied relationship, Carter told People magazine in 2014 that from their earliest days together, they would use an acronym with one another: ILYTG.
“'I love you the goodest.' That's what my mother and daddy used to say back and forth, and I picked it up with Rosa," Carter said.
The whole Carter family adopted that sentiment as the years went on.
“Now all our children do the same thing – ILYTG on the phone or in emails,” Carter explained. “They generally just put the initials, and sometimes they change the initials and make you guess what they're talking about."
The centenarian has been the longest-living former president for some time now. Carter entered hospice care in February 2023 but his oldest grandson told The HIll that the former president is “really excited to vote for Kamala Harris” and “turn the page” on Donald Trump.
Light a candle for a man who has spent a full century dedicating his light to all of us.
Here are some more Jimmy Carter stories for your enjoyment:
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