As Jimmy Carter turns 100, a tribute to a long life of public service

Little did I realize back in 1975 when I began doing advance work for a peanut farmer and governor of Georgia, who was pursuing what I thought then was a long-shot campaign for the presidency, that I would still be engaged in that journey with Jimmy Carter nearly a half-century later.

What a privilege it has been working for Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter, not just during the White House years, but also having the opportunity to support the Carters across the globe — throughout Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America — in their meaningful and consequential Carter Center health, peace and democracy initiatives.

That incredible journey included my late wife, Judy, and all four of our children, who likewise did both Carter advance work and events. In fact, the Carters became family.

I’ll confess it always bugged me, and does to this day, that Carter is referred to as "our greatest former president." That would seem to suggest that his one-term presidency didn’t accomplish much.

However, nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, inflation and the Iranian hostage crisis stymied his reelection campaign in 1980.

Yet, he is the president who created the Department of Education and Department of Energy. When there was a gasoline shortage, he promulgated a national energy policy and deregulated domestic petroleum prices to stimulate production. Way before anyone talked about climate change, he put solar panels on the roof of the White House and expanded the national park system, including protecting 103 acres of Alaskan lands.

Carter also appointed a record number of women, Black men and women and Hispanics to federal positions.

We all know that he brought the leaders of Israel and Egypt to Camp David, where his determination, heart and diplomatic skills resulted in the Camp David Peace Accords —still in force even in these perilous times for the Middle East. But many might not recall that he also won ratification of the Panama Canal Treaty and successfully completed negotiation with the then-Soviet Union of the SALT II nuclear limitation treaty.

Just as importantly, he also refashioned U.S. foreign policy to prioritize human rights, democratic values, nuclear non-proliferation and addressing global poverty.

By the end of the Carter administration, 8 million new jobs were created and he succeeded in reducing the budget deficit.

And at this moment when behavioral health has become a paramount issue across our nation, it is important to recall that first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died last year at age 96, made increasing access to mental health services a national priority.

That’s quite a record of accomplishment for a one-term president. But, as we all know, the Carters were not done with public service. The Carter Center just outside of downtown Atlanta was founded in 1982, and we proudly assisted with the formal grand opening of the Carter Presidential Library in 1986, with President Ronald Reagan as keynote speaker.

From successfully combating horrible tropical diseases like Guinea Worm to monitoring elections globally, from promoting democratic values and human rights to working to resolve intractable and complex conflicts, the Carters set new standards for the post-presidency.

And how proud Carter must be that his grandson, Jason, who grew up in Evanston, is now guiding the work of The Carter Center as chairman of its board.

Friends and associates frequently express astonishment that Carter has been in hospice since February 2023. Based on my decades of experience traveling the globe with him, this Navy veteran who served on a nuclear submarine during World War II under Admiral Hyman Rickover, is "one tough dude."

And so, happy 100th birthday, President Carter, and may God bless you and your work for humanity.

Rick Jasculca is chairman of a Chicago-based public affairs firm and has served as a White House advance lead for two presidents and first ladies, the Carters and Clintons.

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