Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter: A picture of the American dream

With recent news of former first lady Rosalynn Carter’s diagnosis of dementia, and The Carter Center’s announcement in February that former President Jimmy Carter would elect to receive hospice care “instead of additional medical intervention,” the Carter family has been very much on my mind.

The Carters are the longest-ever married presidential couple, and Jimmy Carter is the oldest living former president, at 98 years old. Regardless of where you stand on politics, you must admit that that is an achievement.

In some ways, I have Jimmy Carter to thank for my career. ABC News’s “Nightline,” the program I worked on, was born out of the daily coverage of the Iran hostage crisis that occurred during President Carter’s administration — an event that defined much of his presidency, as well as the oil crisis that soon followed.

Those events overshadowed Carter’s accomplishments, of which there were many, including the creation of nearly 8 million jobs, a decrease in the deficit and governmental reforms to rein in waste, fraud and abuse.

In the Middle East, through the Camp David agreement of 1978, he helped forge a relationship between Israel and Egypt, and obtained ratification of the Panama Canal treaties. He established full diplomatic relations with China and spearheaded the completion of SALT II, which put limits on the nuclear prowess of the Soviet Union.

Not a bad record.

As for his life, Jimmy Carter really exemplified the American dream. Born in 1924 in Archery, Georgia, Carter lived in a household without running water. That might explain why he remained a humble man who remembered his roots.

“The early years of my life on the farm were full and enjoyable, isolated but not lonely,” he has said. “We always had enough to eat, no economic hardship, but no money to waste. We felt close to nature, close to members of our family, and close to God.”

To be born into poverty and become president of the United States is, in and of itself, an accomplishment. Jimmy Carter is the ultimate example of the power of possibilities.

Carter also exemplified service. Many people forget he was a Navy man — a submariner who served in both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets and later become a lieutenant. When his father died in 1953, Carter resigned his naval commission and returned to farming in Georgia. By then, he was married to the love of his life: Rosalynn Smith of Plains, Georgia.

Critics love to say that Jimmy Carter was an outsider with no political experience, forgetting that he was a community leader before most recognized the value of community service. He served on county boards and in 1962 won election to the Georgia Senate. Although he lost his first gubernatorial campaign, in 1966, he went on win the next election, serving as Georgia’s 76th governor. What’s more, he got involved early in national politics, serving on the National Governor’s Conference Executive Committee and as a Democratic National Committee campaign chair for the 1974 congressional elections. Two years later, he announced his candidacy for president of the United States.

The first member of Congress to endorse him? Joe Biden. They’ve remained allies and friends for decades.

But perhaps the greatest accomplishment of both Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter remains the establishment of The Carter Center. Established in 1982, it has become one of the leading institutions in peace and democracy work around the world. It has monitored elections in some 40 countries — the pioneering organization in the field of election observation. Beyond elections, the Carter Center has created a grassroots global campaign on the principles of human rights. It has extended rule of law programs, raised the issue of corruption overseas and encouraged dialogue between warring factions in Sudan.

Jimmy Carter will always be remembered as a warrior for peace. He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his work to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights and to promote economic and social development. His words echo today at a time when we could use his strength of conviction. “War may sometimes be a necessary evil,” he said. “But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other’s children.”

To both President Carter and Mrs. Carter, I say: Thank you for your service.

Tara D. Sonenshine began her career as editorial producer at ABC News Nightline. She later served as U.S. undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs under President Obama.