The United States of America mourned the death of its 39th president, James Earl Carter Jr., on December 29th, 2024. Carter had become the first executive chief of the country has seen age 100, following his beloved First Lady Rosalynn Carter who had passed away a year prior.
President Carter of Georgia was known for having a poorly received presidency despite his outstanding character and good intentions. Many were unsatisfied with his inability to resolve the conflict in Iraq, his inconsistent energy policies and his failure to deter the high levels of inflation, leading to his defeat by Ronald Reagan in the Election of 1980. Regardless of these flaws, the American public has grown to appreciate Carter for his humanitarian accomplishments, founding of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and his exemplary post-presidency.
During this time of national mourning, UT Martin will look back and honor Carter as the president who visited its campus amidst frigid temperatures back in the chilly December of 1982.
At a feast celebrating Speaker (and future governor) Ned Ray McWherter of Dresden, former President Carter visited Weakley County to honor his friend and colleague. Crowds surrounded both men and captured numerous photographs as they entered the Skyhawk Fieldhouse for the festivities.
Then-Chancellor Charles Smith recalled McWherter as being “uncharacteristically nervous about the event…he put his arm around me and said gently, ‘Chancellor, everybody knows who Jimmy is, so make the introduction short.’ Obviously, I did.”
Throughout the night, Carter established his personal friendship with McWherter, engaging in humorous and heartfelt exchanges witnessed by those in attendance. Their admiration for each other was quite evident, as both men were politicians who valued humility and integrity during times filled with political corruption. Carter was noted to have said, “It’s not his honor I’m here. It’s my honor to be here.”
Decades later, this evening is still remembered as a significant event in UT Martin’s history, and should be remembered as the country honors Carter, who remained a public servant to his people regardless of what they thought of his leadership and policies.
Editor’s Note: The information concerning President Carter’s UT Martin visit was taken from the October 3, 2023 edition of UT Martin’s Campus Scene, which you can read right here:
https://campusscene.utm.edu/2023/10/president-jimmy-carter-visits-ut-martin
