To the editor:
Oct. 1 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of the 39th president of our great nation, James Earl Carter Jr. of Plains, Ga.
Carter, who served as our chief executive from Jan. 20, 1977, until Jan. 20, 1981, is, certainly, a man of the people, and although he has always been a strong Democrat, he has always been willing to work with members of the Republican Party as well for the good of the American people.
Carter, who graduated 59th out of 820 students in his class at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946 and served in the Navy as a nuclear submarine engineer until 1953 when he resigned in order to manage his family's peanut farm upon the death of his father, a position which he held throughout his adult life, with the exception of his time in the White House.
Politically, prior to his election as our 39th president, Carter had served in the Georgia State Senate, and, later, as the governor of the state of Georgia, with his initial election to public office taking place in 1962.
During his tenure in the White House, Carter, perhaps, is best known for his brokering of a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, known as the Camp David Peace Accords of 1978, and his successful negotiations for the release of U.S. hostages from Iran, which was completed in 1981.
Following his term as president of our nation, Carter continued to work on behalf of the American people, as well as the people of the world.
In 1982, Carter founded the Carter Presidential Center, an organization that has done outstanding work in its efforts to "wage peace, fight diseases and build hope" throughout the world.
As a result of his outstanding work following his tenure in office, Carter has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom as well as the Nobel Peace Prize.
In addition, over the years, Carter, along with his late wife, Rosalynn, as a result of their outstanding work with Habitat for Humanity, personally helped to build a reported more than 4,000 homes between 1984 and 2019, with Carter continuing to teach Sunday School in his hometown well into his 90s.
On a personal note, Carter, who has been under hospice care for the previous 19 months, lost his beloved wife, Rosalynn, who died last November. The Carters had been married for 77 wonderful years.
Thank you, Jimmy Carter, for your outstanding work and dedication in your effort to help make our nation, as well as the world, an even better place.
Richard Hord
Martins Ferry