First Lady Rosalynn Carter died last week at the age of 96. She dedicated her adult life to public service which is most often viewed through the lens of her husband and true partner in life of 77 years, President Jimmy Carter. While the two worked hand in hand for over three quarters of a century, a few words have been earned about Eleanor Rosalynn Smith Carter on her own.
It’s somewhat ironic that we refer to the spouses of presidents with the title of “First”. The role in southern parlance is much akin to that of being a pastor’s wife. The expectations of too many is that the role requires one to be seen often and seldom heard, and even then only to echo the spouse’s message.
Mrs. Carter was certainly a compliment to the public roles of her husband of 77 years, but the two had a true partnership. Her thoughts, ideas, and strategic thinking, and actions mattered, even in an era when this was not expected (nor tolerated well by some) of a political spouse.
Shortly after the news of her passing, I was on the phone with a friend of mine, who himself was on the way to a television studio to provide commentary on her life. I have had the pleasure of meeting her several times over a couple of years at private dinners and events in Plains. The call gave us a moment to get our heads around the news, and to try to hash out what should be said about the life of a great person.
I provide that background because he asked me the clarifying question, “what should be said so that the audience understands who she really was?”. I of course rambled a bit as I do until I eventually got to my answer: She was authentic.
That word may seem at first like a platitude, but there is depth behind it. We now have a couple of generations since Mrs. Carter was our nation’s First Lady. Our pop culture now depicts politicians and their families – both in comedy and drama – as calculating individuals who are one person when the cameras are…
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