Did you have the chance to meet President Jimmy Carter? We invite you to share your memories and experiences with us. Please send your story to us via email at info@beacononlinenews.com
BY KEN GOLDBERG
Yesterday we as a nation lost a great man and a great American president, and the world said goodbye to a great humanitarian.
I felt the loss of a hero and a friend. We were not close “buddies”; in fact, I spoke directly with him only maybe a dozen times while serving as a research intern at the Carter Center in Atlanta. The longest was for maybe 20 minutes just one on one. We talked about fishing. Those who knew him know he was everyone’s friend.
As far as being a “hero” of mine, that feeling was engendered mostly because of his steadfast spirit to always pushing for the best outcome for people, for all human beings, be it in eradicating diseases such as guinea worm and river blindness in Africa and South America, to promoting democracy to people who lacked it in their societal organization, at least in a more consolidated form.
When it came to these necessary causes, Jimmy Carter and, in no small measure, his wife, Rosalynn Carter, just wouldn’t give up.
I served in the Americas Program at the Carter Center in 1988-89 and then again in 1991-92. I worked under the direction of Dr. Robert Pastor, a former national-security adviser in the Carter Administration.
The work was focused on promoting and consolidating democracy in Latin America in the areas of fiscal transnational debt relief and election observation.
In both areas, Carter saw a need and brought together leaders from around the Western Hemisphere together to talk through the problem and find solutions. In so doing, in meetings and actions, Carter would always be willing to persist in keeping the conversation going, even when others were tired or were looking to just disagree and go home.
He would remind his counterparts of the reason why they were there and remind them to think about the legacies they would leave behind, often at the most personal level.
He would break down what seemed like monumental problems into much simpler steps that if taken, step by step, would lead to something great.
Jimmy Carter knew when to keep pushing and talking and was willing to do just that. It wasn’t that he talked about an issue to death, rather, he would talk problems into a living solution.
I have taken my time at the Carter Center and the experience of working with Jimmy Carter to heart in my endeavors. Concerning the causes I believe in and the work that I do, I will always be willing to keep talking with anyone I’m involved to find the best solution.
Whether it be simply small pedestrian issues or larger problems in our community at large or bigger still, the spirit of Jimmy Carter in me will persist and never give up.
— Goldberg is a general contractor based in DeLand and a volunteer with the MainStreet DeLand Association.
