Thursday, August 10, 2006

Plains, Georgia, November 19, 1976





Days of Yesteryear:
A couple of weeks after Jimmy Carter won the presidential election we decided to go to Plains, Georgia, and check the Carter family out.
Jimmy's mother Miss Lillian went to the Plains RR Depot a couple times each day to sign autographs. She was long legged that took big steps. A little short Asian body guard must have had a hard time keeping up with her. One of us, I forgot who, reached out to shake her hand and she drew back and said, "Don't touch me!" She didn't mean any harm, she just did not wanted to be touched... she should know about what kind of germs people have on their hands, after all she was a nurse. She was very kind to the people who came to see her.
Jimmy's brother Billy did not seem to take all the gawkers so well. That is Billy in the red jacket. He drove from his service station (pictured) across the street and went into the Carter Peanut Warehouse office and came back out with two women who he left with. He glare at me or my camera through the vehicle's window as he rode by.
The street Jimmy lived on was blocked off with a security gate, so we didn't get to visit and sit a spell with him.

7 comments:

kenju said...

She should have worn gloves. It is really rude not to shake hands.

Eddie said...

I agree, but as mother of a president-elect I think she thought she had some leadway.

Anonymous said...

Awesome pix. Its so cool that you got to meet them. I'll bet Billy was plotting to make his Billy Beer.

Eddie said...

Steve,
I bet Billy was constantly checking out the taste of what would be his competition.

Button Gwinnett said...

Some members of the Carter family were clearly not ready for all of the attention that came their way. As with everything else with the media, they'll eventually turn on you for doing the very same things they loved you for earlier.

I agree, Mizzz Lillian could've handled that a little differently. But I still like the answer she gave during the 1980 presidential election on what to do about the Ayatolla. ;-)

Eddie said...

Button,
I didn't retain it - what did Miz Lillian say to do about the Ayatolla?
You got to appreciate her - going in the Peace Corps in her 60s. And, it seems I heard a crack she made about abortion or birth control or something, she said she felt that too until she met her children - or something of that nature.

Anonymous said...

Excellent, love it!
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