Off The Record
Jimmy Carter Turns 100 At The “Very End” Of His “Journey”
On October 1, Jimmy Carter celebrated turning 100 years old and became the first American president to live to be 100 years old.
His grandson informs the centenarian’s entourage that he is “very limited in what he can do” and that this “journey” is “one” he will only be able to take until “the very end” amid the festivities.
Jimmy Carter was 100 years old on October 1. Family and friends came to Plains, Georgia, his hometown, to commemorate his first birthday without his 77-year-old wife.
“We know this is the first birthday without Rosalynn. It’s bittersweet, but we also know she’s always with you,” President Joe Biden says in a birthday message to his longtime friend. “She’s in your heart; she’ll never go away. She may be gone, but she’s always going to be with you. She’s always there, and I know you know that.”
The Plains-born former first lady passed away on November 19 at the age of 96. Carter, who is wheelchair-bound, is not often seen, but he did show up for his late wife’s memorial service.
Biden, one of the first sitting senators to endorse Carter’s 1976 campaign, continues of the former Commander-in-Chief, “Even after you left office, the moral clarity you showed throughout your career showed through again in your commitment through the Carter Center and Habitat for Humanity…Put simply, Mr. President, I admire you so darn much.”
The Nobel Peace Prize winner’s hospice home in Plains, which he co-built with Rosalynn in the 1960s, served as the venue for the historic birthday celebration.
His grandson Jason tells Southern Living that it’s “the place that has given him the greatest support and it is the only place where he would go through this part of his life.” Jason continues, “That’s his home in every way, and he really cherished that time and that support.”
As the oldest son of Carter’s firstborn, Jack, who is 77 years old, Jason, a lawyer and politician, is also the eldest of 22 grandchildren.
He adds, “There is no other place in the world that he would be at peace other than Plains.”
In his interview with Southern Living, Jason speaks of his grandad’s struggles since Rosalynn died. “After 77 years of marriage… I just think none of us really understand what it’s like for him right now.” He adds, “We have to embrace that fact, that there’s things about the spirit that you just can’t understand.”
Cupcakes and jets
According to the Associated Press, Carter’s birthday celebration included scores of family members and friends, including his 74-year-old son Chip, the second child of the former first couple.
Cupcakes were being served on the lawn while vintage World War II aircraft circled overhead to pay tribute to him. Afterwards, the guests gathered around the television to watch the vice-presidential discussion.
“He’s plugged in,” Chip tells AP, explaining his father intends to live long enough to cast his vote on Election Day. “I asked him two months ago if he was trying to live to be 100, and he said, No, I’m trying to live to vote for Kamala Harris.”
Praising his grandfather, Jason who chairs the Carter Center, tells AP: “Not everybody gets 100 years on this earth, and when somebody does, and when they use that time to do so much good for so many people, it’s worth celebrating.”
He adds, “These last few months, 19 months, now that he’s been in hospice, it’s been a chance for our family to reflect…and then for the rest of the country and the world to really reflect on him. That’s been a really gratifying time.”
‘Physically limited’
In September 2024, Jason provides some information about his grandfather’s present state of health when he informs People that his grandfather is “physically limited” and doesn’t get out much.
“He has really physically diminished and can’t do much on his own. But he is emotionally engaged and still having experiences and laughing, loving.”
He says, “This is an important part” of his journey, “one that you don’t get to experience at any other time in your life except for the very end…And so in that way, I think this has been a really meaningful time for him.”
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