ATLANTA — “He is the best president ever. I met him in 1976,” a tearful Laurie Benoit told Channel 2′s Audrey Washington Saturday.
“It just grabs you, so it’s hard to explain,” Rhonda Noonan said.
“May he rest in peace,” Benoit added.
Benoit traveled from Portland, Oregon to Orlando, Florida and then drove from Orlando to Plains, Georgia. She finally made it to the Carter Center in Northeast Atlanta by Saturday evening.
“He was so kind and he’s going to be missed,” Benoit said.
Saturday evening, busloads of people arrived at the Carter Center to pay their respects.
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The body of Jimmy Carter will lie in repose until Tuesday morning.
Noonan and her friends said they waited in line for hours, before they made it inside the center.
“He is our president still. He stands for everything we stand for, and we want him to know that he will be missed,” Noonan told Channel 2 Action News.
Early Saturday afternoon, nearly one hundred legislatures, along with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, past governors, including Nathan Deal and the current Governor, Brian Kemp all stood at the capital as the motorcade paused in front of the steps.
As a young state trooper, representative Bill Hitchens used to serve in Jimmy Carter’s security detail.
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“We used to play basketball out there outside the garage with him and his sons. But he was a humanitarian most of all,” Rep. Bill Hitchens said.
Former state representative, Calvin Smyre reflected on how important diversity was to Jimmy Carter.
During his presidency Carter made sure to appoint women, African Americans, and Hispanics to judgeships and senior positions.
“You make your living by what you get, but you make your life by what you give. Jimmy Carter made his life by what he gave and for that we are all grateful,” said Smyre.
The body of President Jimmy Carter will lie in repose for mourners to come and pay their respects from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. The Carter Center will be open 24/7.
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