ATLANTA — People who came to the Carter Center to pay their respects to the former president shared heartwarming stories of how he went overboard to make them feel special.
Channel 2′s Tom Jones spoke to Evelyn Smith from Stone Mountain. She brought her nephew to see the 39th president lying in repose.
“He needs to see a part of history,” Smith said.
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It’s not the first time her nephew, Maqari Rivers, has been in Jimmy Carter’s presence.
Smith showed Jones a picture the former president took with her, her nephew and students she brought to his church years ago.
“And he came down out of the pulpit and sat with my students and taught them Sunday school,” she told Channel 2 Action News.
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Rivers remembers it well.
“I just remember shaking his hand.” He said it’s something he will never forget. “To meet a president and for him to pass away and I get to honor his legacy. It’s just like I said, a blessing.”
Channel 2 Action News saw a steady stream of people stopping by to pay their respects to the only president from Georgia. They took pictures and some placed flowers at the Carter Center Presidential sign.
Barbara Ertzberger said she admired Carter as a person more than as a president.
“I’ve read several of his books. He’s a good author. He was a very good man,” she said.
Cindi Brooks got emotional saying her last goodbyes.
“He was just such a wonderful man. And his post-presidency was just so incredible,” Smith said. “So I’m really glad I came.”
Evelyn Smith felt the same way. She showed Jones a picture of Carter she says he signed for her. Smith said Carter was so gracious to her and her students when he taught them at Sunday school.
“I never will forget that because he did not have to do that,” she said.
People also shared stories of visiting Carter’s farm, or his church. They said he was more like a neighbor next door than a former president. That’s what they admired about him.
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