As the 39th president of the United States begins a nearly week-long state funeral, Americans have been assembling to honor Jimmy Carter.
The six-day public farewell for the statesman, who died last month at the age of 100, began Saturday with a procession from his Plains, Georgia, home to Atlanta.
Carter will lie in state at the US Capitol after being flown to Washington, DC, on Tuesday. Former US presidents will speak during the service on Thursday.
Georgians and people from all around the world have come to Atlanta to pay their respects.
Heather Brooks, a native of Atlanta and a “big admirer” of the Democrat was among those who attended on Saturday.
“He is a great person who has done a lot for the globe, not just America,” Ms. Brooks told the BBC, adding, “I always found him to be warm and relatable.”
“Powerful yet very humble” is how she described Carter, who she had met a few times.
The President of the Carter Center, Paige Alexander, told the BBC that the former president’s “sincerity and honesty” should be remembered.
“At the end of the day, there is a politician who would say, ‘the Honourable President Gerald Ford and I differ on these topics,'” she added about the argument. “You are not hearing that right now.”
In remembrance of Carter’s early days as a peanut farmer in the Plains, the grassy area outside the Carter Center has been awash in flowers, handwritten messages, and bags of peanuts.
Longtime Carter family friend Jill Stuckey, who knew the former president well, expressed her sadness at his and his wife Rosalynn’s dedication to helping others.
The couple was devoted to that “till the day they went,” according to Ms. Stuckey.
She told the BBC, “I do not know how we are going to get acclimated to a world without President Carter.”
On Saturday the motorcade passed the Methodist church where the Carters married in 1946, and the home where they lived and died.
Rosalynn, who passed away at 96 in late 2023, will be interred there with the former president.
Just outside Plains, the procession also paused in front of Carter’s childhood house and family farm. The location, which is now a part of Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, honored the 39th president on Saturday by ringing the old farm bell 39 times.
Following that, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp led the motorcade to pause for a moment of silence at the state house.
Before his flight to Washington, DC, on January 7, mourners will have the opportunity to visit Carter at the Presidential Library on January 5 and 6.
The public can pay their respects to him during his two-day lie-in state in the US Capitol Rotunda.
Several past presidents will attend a service at the Washington National Cathedral on January 9 to honor his life.
In the days ahead, Carter is certain to receive personal tributes from his extended family and the political kudos he will receive.
The former president’s grandson, Jason Carter, would particularly miss his close relationships with individuals.
The former Georgia state senator told the BBC, “I think that is worth celebrating because, for many people in the country, he was a beacon of love and respect.”
More Stories
As UK borrowing costs increase, the pound drops to its lowest level in more than a year.
Johnnie Walker was hailed as a “broadcasting legend”
Ivory Coast says French troops will depart the West African nation.