Jill Stuckey: President Carter is 'more concerned about helping people' than turning 100

Caption

Jill Stuckey, superintendent of the Jimmy Carter National Historic Park in Plains, Ga.

Credit: Peter Biello

On former President Jimmy Carter's 100th birthday, we're hearing stories about his extraordinary life from people who knew him best. GPB's Peter Biello visited President Jimmy Carter's hometown of Plains, Ga. to speak with someone described as his best friend: Jill Stuckey, superintendent of the Jimmy Carter National Historic Park. 

Peter Biello: Tell us about your friendship with President Carter. How did it start?

Jill Stuckey: So I met the Carters in 1994 at the Macon Cherry Blossom Parade. They were grand marshals. My late husband was a good friend of the Carters'. And so that's when I met. So, 30 years ago.

Peter Biello: And when you first met 30 years ago, how did you connect? What did you connect over?

Jill Stuckey: I've been a lifelong fan of President Carter. I was in high school when he was in office, and I loved him then and — and still love him today. And we connect over our same views on world health and a lot of the things that the Carter Center has been — been doing over the decades.

Peter Biello: Is there a story in particular that you know of — you experienced with President Carter — that gives you a sense of who they are?  A particular moment?

Jill Stuckey: You know, 30 years gives you the ability to really judge somebody. And I'm fortunate that before I met the Carters, I was huge fans. And after working with them for 30 years, I admire them more today than I did the first day I met them, which is — is very strange because usually your heroes will let you down if you get to meet them. And especially if you get to interact with them regularly over 30 years. These people never let you down. They're the same people day in, day out, behind the scenes, in front of the cameras. They want this world to be a better place. And it's hard for me to not say "they" because when you say "Jimmy," you say "Rosalynn." When you say "Rosalynn," you say "Jimmy." And it's hard for me to — to talk about Rosalynn in the past tense. But they — they love life. They loved helping people. They ate right every single day. They exercised every single day because they wanted to live as long as they possibly could to help as many people as they possibly could. And it was such a privilege for me to get to be kind of behind the scenes watching this go on over the last 30 years.

Peter Biello: Can you give me an example of one of those things you were doing behind the scenes?

Jill Stuckey: So about 2019 or so, both Jimmy and Rosalynn were staying home more. President Carter's cancer diagnosis in 2015 had slowed him down a good little bit. Rosalynn was slowing down as well. So they came to me and they said, "We want to help people in Plains. We're not going to be out and about as much. So we've decided we want to eradicate substandard housing in Plains."  And they said, "Go find the substandard housing and then we'll do everything else." So with local help, we were able to find 25 people in Plains that owned houses that needed some assistance. And then they went ahead and raised all the money for that. And so far, we've — or the Carter Plains Foundation's what the Carters' started, [a] nonprofit to raise funds for. And I think so far they have put like 17 new roofs on houses in Plains. There's 15 houses that have good HVAC systems that have been installed that they raised the money for and got donations for rewiring of houses. Big things that, you know, ticket items that are four or five or six thousand dollars these poor folks could never get that money themselves. And Jimmy and Rosalynn made sure that it happened.

Peter Biello: Is there a moment that you have witnessed, being so close to him in Plains, interacting with his neighbors that really exemplifies who he is?

Jill Stuckey: There's — there's so many. But with the Carter Plains Foundation at Christmastime, they would help different families that didn't have Christmas and they would go to their houses and they would deliver the gifts and just watch the joy on people's faces. When a former leader of the free world comes into their house and is delivering Christmas gifts or delivering food to people who need food. And you know just with his 100th birthday. He's not really concerned about turning 100. He's more concerned about — about helping people. And it's — it's never about him. It's always about somebody else. And what — He's always encouraging me to help others. And most people around him, he's encouraged them not to think about themselves, but to think about helping others.

Peter Biello: We are speaking just about two weeks before his 100th birthday. And I understand you saw him this morning. What was he like?

Jill Stuckey: So I'm fortunate I do get to see the president on a regular basis. And, yeah, he was — was happy this morning. And I told him that it was a nice day, that the humidity was finally down a little bit and the crops had gotten some rain. So put a big smile on his face.

Peter Biello: You mentioned that even his 100th birthday is not about him for him. Who is he saying it's about?

Jill Stuckey: We're doing a naturalization ceremony here on his 100th birthday. We have a 100 new — 100 people that will become citizens of the United States on Oct. 1. And things like that is what he cares about, that you know how his 100th birthday can help somebody. I think he's happier about that than a personal milestone. Doesn't mean too much to him.

Peter Biello: What does it mean to you as a close friend of his?

Jill Stuckey: You know, I love it when the Carters get records like the record for the longest marriage in president history. They were married 77.5 years. The record of him being the oldest living president. You know, I love those records because what those records do gain attention. And then the more attention that those records bring, then people learn about his life and his legacy. And that's what I like to see.