Jimmy Carter’s candlelight vigil in Rotterdam
ROTTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Jimmy Carter briefly lived in the Capital Region with his family while he was in the Navy. Now, a Carter Monument stands in the apartment complex where they used to live and that’s where locals gathered for a candlelight vigil to honor his legacy.
On Thursday the 39th President was remembered at his old residence in Rotterdam. It’s now known as the Maple Pine Manor.
Carter died at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024 and was laid to rest in Plains, Georgia on Thursday. But Carter lived in Rotterdam for a period of time during his Naval career, with his wife Rosalynn and their three sons.
He attended Union College and took graduate classes in Nuclear Physics. But, in 1953 Carter’s father died. So that year, at age 29, he and his family returned to Georgia, and he took over the family’s peanut farm.
Carter’s residence in Georgia will be his final resting place. He was buried during a private interment.
In attendance on Thursday Bill Frank, a Vietnam Veteran.
“And so many people in this area don’t even know this plaque behind me exists. And two years ago it was refurbished and Assemblyman Santabarbara helped secure the funds,” said Frank, who is the chairman of the Schenectady County Honor Veteran Committee.
The monument and plaque were restored in 2023. The candlelight vigil was meant to honor the life and legacy of President Carter and was organized by Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara.