BY GREG MARKLEY
OPINION —
Rosalynn Carter had a harsh reckoning after she wore the same gown at the 1977 presidential inauguration of her husband Jimmy as she did at several balls. She wore a caftan-like, high-neck, gold-embroidered blue chiffon dress. Critics recalled that she wore that same dress at Jimmy’s 1971 inauguration as governor of Georgia. Many people, especially in the fashion industry, were horrified by this breach of sartorial custom.
“But Mrs. Carter came from a poor family, has worked most of her life, and finds it difficult to part with, say, $170 for a dress when there are equally respectable dresses at $70,” wrote Marcy Clancey, for SheKnows.com. “She showed that elegance does not necessitate extravagance, a message that resonates with today’s values of sustainability and conscious consumerism in fashion.”
On Nov. 28, Rosalynn was honored at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church in Atlanta by more than 1,000 attendees. These included political leaders and their spouses, ex-politicians and their spouses and a mix of famous and ordinary admirers of the former first lady, who died on Nov. 20 at age 96. President Joe Biden was there, as well as former President Bill Clinton. The five living first ladies — Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama, Melania Trump and Jill Biden were present.
At Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, home of Carter’s legendary Sunday study lessons, another service occurred on Wednesday, Nov. 29. This was attended mostly by family friends or residents of Plains and Sumter County. Just as in Atlanta earlier in the week, Carter attended his wife’s funeral. He was in a wheelchair and under hospice, but he did not miss the funeral of his wife of 77 years in their beloved city.
“Her family, her friends, her neighbors all knew her to be someone who did not think of herself but rather others and others’ needs,” said Maranatha’s Pastor Tony Lowden in an eulogy. “Her care and concern for those around her defined her and left the most remarkable impression upon our hearts and memories.”
Lowden directly called on the congregation and visitors to put action behind their pledges of service.
“She’ll tell you don’t stop. There’s still too many homeless people in the world,” Lowden said. “There’s too many people that still don’t have equal rights. There’s still too many people who suffer from mental illness. There’s still too many people that look at the color of her skin. She’ll tell you don’t stop.”
In a noticeable development, the former president wore a red lei, as did his family members. This was because Rosalynn loved her time as a Navy spouse in Hawaii. Also, she was photographed wearing carnation leis on critical days of her husband’s 1976 presidential campaign.
After former President Gerald Ford died in 2006, members of the press asked President Carter what his plans were for his own funeral. He said that he would be interred in Plains, outside his home. Rosalynn, was buried there on Nov. 29 and awaits her husband, who is in home hospice.
Since January 1973, when former President Lyndon Johnson was interred in his much-loved “Hills of Texas,” all later deceased presidents are buried at their presidential centers. Johnson was buried in Stonewall, near his forebears which he always was happy to return to.
“Gradually, as we recovered from the exhaustion from our last months in Washington and settled in at home, we began to feel that life in Plains might turn out to be satisfying,” wrote Rosalynn in the 1987 book “Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life.”
“We became confident we would find significant outside activities while living in the quiet environs of our youth,” she said. “We enjoyed walking through the woods and fields for miles without seeing a single house; or rarely meeting a car while bicycling or jogging alone on the back roads. We would stop along to visit the farm families who had been our friends and customers before we entered politics, and we rapidly became reinvolved in the life of our community.”
Rosalynn is among the Southern women who have earned the nickname “Steel Magnolia.” Undoubtedly, the press attacking her choice of dresses early on was hurtful. But she, like her husband, endured and eventually, most people came around to salute their durability and later-in-life accomplishments. She also laid the way for First Ladies who follow; by being independent, involved and incredible. May she rest in peace.
Greg Markley moved to Lee County in 1996. He has a master’s degree in education from AUM and a master’s degree in history from Auburn University. He taught politics as an adjunct in Georgia and Alabama. An award-winning writer in the Army and civilian life, he has contributed to the Observer since 2011. He writes on politics, education and history.