Jimmy Carter's mother: Auburn KA Housemother
 

Carter talks AU

By Taylor Hill
Assistant Intrigue Editor
July 28, 2005

PLAINS, Ga.--He was a nuclear physicist and a peanut farmer. He has been a state senator, governor, president of the United States and a carpenter. He is a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and he's a Bob Dylan fan.

Most weeks, President Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday school in Plains, Ga., population 637, two hours down Highway 280 from Auburn.

Aside from the bomb-sniffing dog and magnetometer-wielding Secret Service agents, Maranatha Baptist Church is an unassuming one-story building where most people park on the grass. They have an overflow room for when the chapel is unable to accommodate its few dozen members and few hundred visitors. With most churches, those numbers are switched. Carter knows it, and made light of it.

"Do we have any visitors?" he asked, as he walked into the room.

When the laughter died down, he polled the front row, all from parts of Florida. Others shouted out Vermont, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.

"I've heard of there," Carter said, drawing more laughter.

Upon hearing Auburn University, Carter paused, rolled his eyes at the chorus of "War Eagle" that followed, and reminisced.

"My mom was a house mom there (for Kappa Alpha Order) for about six years," Carter said. "It's funny how everyone remembers her decades after she's been there."

Brothers of Kappa Alpha Order at the time knew to befriend "Miss Lillian," as she was called. Lillian Carter had a Cadillac at a time when many students did not have cars. When a fraternity man had a date to impress, he went to Mrs. Carter, who usually handed him the keys.

After Carter acknowledged a few more shouted locations, he asked if there were any pastors present, and he picked one to lead the church in prayer. Carter also acknowledged the president of Emory University in Atlanta and his former chief of staff, Hamilton Jordan, who had brought a small group of oncologists from China.

After introductions, Carter did an unusual thing for a Sunday school teacher. He asked the congregation for help deciding the topic for next week's lesson, "the largest Sunday school lesson in history," which he would teach in Birmingham, England at the Baptist World Alliance's annual meeting.

After some discussion, he decided upon forgiveness and reconciliation, and talked about how Jacob had tricked Esau out of his birthright. He read from Matthew 18 the parable of the servant who had large debts forgiven, yet did not forgive the meager debts he was owed. Because of his lack of forgiveness, he was thrown into jail to be tortured. Carter explained Christ's instruction that transgressors need to be forgiven "seventy times seven" times.

"If we have inherent love for all people," Carter said, "then forgiveness is infinite."

He related the lesson to his presidency, recalling the time his briefing book for the Carter-Reagan debates was stolen and given to George F. Will, who gave it to Ronald Reagan.

"Unfortunately, the last time I gave this lesson, a news reporter was here, and quoted me on it ... (Will) read that and wrote me asking for forgiveness. I wrote him back, told him I loved his book on baseball, and that I (forgave him). But I also told him that I got the book for a dollar at a used bookstore."

Carter filled his lesson with humor and anecdotes, remembering that the pastor, Dan Ariall, had said, "the soul can absorb only as long as the seat can endure."

Carter ended his lesson, everyone took a 15-minute break and returned for the church service.

He offered to pose for pictures with every member of the church, but did not pretend that he enjoyed it.

"We would be -- I started to say delighted -- we would be willing to pose for pictures with everyone after church ends," Carter said.

The line for pictures moved with military efficiency, with Carter positioning children in the proper spot and first lady Roslynn Carter maintaining a cheerful smile. Approximately 400 visitors had their pictures taken with the Carters in 20 minutes.

Carter then left for lunch with his former chief of staff, but he also left an indelible impression on many of his visitors.

"It was wonderful. Jimmy Carter was the first president I ever voted for. (I brought) friends to hear him speak," Fredia O'Neil, from Atlanta, said.

Edith Phillips, drove from Orangeburg, S.C., to see Carter preach.

"We enjoyed it," Phillios said. "To hear him preaching -- it's different."

Actually, he was a nuclear engineer not a nuclear physicist. I'm betting there's a difference, although I admit I'm not sure exactly what that difference is :)

She was one cool lady! I was assigned to escort her around when she visited Mississippi State. During the dinner, she was up at the head table and I was directly below her at a table. The speaker was droning ooonn and ooonnn and I looked up at her and she rolled her eyes really dramatically. LOL, I wanted to too but I was right in his line of vision.

And a 'glow-in-dark bubblehead' (aka submariner) who somehow managed to survive Adm. Rickover's nerve-wracking one-on-one interview technique!

The title of his first book, Why Not The Best? came from Rickover's interview when he applied for the submarine program.

A nuclear engineer gets 'down and dirty' with the nuts and bolts of a system; a nuclear physicist works on all kind of 'what if' scenarios. :D

Why do the bubbleheads get all the recognition?!?!? Don't forget the glow-in-the-dark SWOs! Not sure if Mr. KR had to interview with Adm. Rickover to get into nuke school or if that was before his time. I'll have to ask him next time I see him.

Because Tom Clancy is in love with submarines.

And aircraft carriers, of course.

Even when he talks about Surface Warfare, it's generally ASW stuff.

That's true. Seems like whenever a movie about the Navy comes out it's either about the airdales (Top Gun, Flight of the Intruder, Behind Enemy Lines) or sub guys (Crimson Tide, Hunt for Red October, U-571). No one ever makes movies about the ships and, geez, it's the Navy; you'd think someone would want to mention ships!

But Mr. KR says it's pretty boring being on a ship so maybe there's just not much to write about.

To submariners, there are only two things in life: submarines and targets. 'Skimmers' wearing 'water wings' are targets! ;) :) :D But then 'skimmers' see it completely the opposite way - if it's below the sea, it's a target to be torpedoed or depth-charged!

With the exception of submarines and aircraft carriers, everyday shipboard life is pretty much routine. Sub duty is strictly volunteer and still off-limits to women. Aircraft carriers have the glamour of the air wing and the hazards associated with carrier flight deck operations. Only way the 'brown shoe' Navy* has a shot at shipboard command other than within aviation. (By act of Congress, only rated naval aviators can command aircraft carriers.)

(* In days of wooden ships and tall sails - well, not THAT old! - Naval Aviation used to wear a green uniform and brown shoes; the rest of the Navy wore black shoes. Not sure if they still wear 'em today, though, but the 'shoe' descriptions differentiate the two distinct worlds of Naval Aviation and the rest of the sea service.)

Yep, SWOs wear black shoes. Don't know what the bubbleheads wear.

LMAO at how we hijacked this thread :D

Sneakers... Think Quiet! :D

But then the rest of the Navy adopted what was once the hallmark of the submariners - the navy blue coveralls universally known as 'poopie suits'! :D

[/still squawking 7500]

New Carter book tells life of 'remarkable mother'
 

New Carter book tells life of 'remarkable mother'

ATLANTA (AP) - In the moments following Jimmy Carter's 1977 inauguration as president, a reporter asked his mother if she was proud of her son.

The always colorful Lillian Carter thought for a moment before responding: "Which one?"

Known to most of the world as "Miss Lillian," the Carter family matriarch was her eldest son's secret weapon during his presidential campaign and his time in the White House. She became the nation's "First Mama," representing the U.S. on trips abroad when Jimmy Carter or his wife, Rosalynn, couldn't attend.......
She campaigned for Democrats even though her husband, Earl, who died in 1953, was a Republican.

After his death, she worked for eight years as a house mother at an Auburn University fraternity and worked on political campaigns for candidates who supported civil and human rights.

At age 68, she volunteered for the Peace Corps as a nurse in India. For two years she worked with lepers in a clinic......
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/new-car...11001109990037

> Even when he talks about Surface Warfare, it's generally ASW stuff.

Adding to the hijack ...

I worked on Surtass - http://www.fas.org/irp/program/collect/surtass.htm - and one interesting thing came up. The ships initially towed the array at 7 knots, which gave a good mix of speed (to cover more ocean) and quiet (to minimize background noise). But the Navy wanted to do 10 knots, but gain better listening by intelligent filtering of the ship's noise.

The real reason - at 7 knots, the towing ships generated a certain amount of steam pressure and temperature (remember the charts in Thermo?) and the same steam was piped to the galley. Enough to heat things up, but not enough to run the ovens. 10 knots was just enough more temperature to bake bread! Real, crunchy bread, not warmed up mush!

But, I agree - too much carriers and subs, not enough about regular ships.

My mother's cousin & his wife lived next door to the Carters when they were stationed in San Diego and Rosalyn's brother & his wife lived near me until fairly recently. Lots of stories!

But the one thing I regretted hearing from Miss Lillian was when she said, "There are times when I think to myself, 'Lillian, you should have stayed a virgin'" NOT a great thing to say when your one son's running for reelection and the other is trying to be the village idiot!