James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr., 39th President of the United States, passed away today.
Born in 1924 to a farming family and raised in rural Georgia, Carter was connected to agriculture from the beginning. In the 1940s, Carter served as secretary of the Plains High School FFA Chapter. He eventually became the only FFA member thus far to be elected as U.S. President.
Through the years, Carter championed the National FFA Organization as top-notch for youth leadership development and acknowledged its importance in his own pursuits. He once described FFA as one of his favorite organizations and said, “It’s been an integral part of my life.”
Known as a generous humanitarian, servant leader and agriculture advocate, Carter often offered advice and support to the FFA membership. In 1975, before becoming the Democratic Presidential Nominee, he addressed attendees of the 48th National FFA Convention.
Carter considered himself an FFA member for life. In 1977, the same year his presidency began, he officially became an FFA Alumni Life Member and was presented with a lifetime membership plaque during a visit by state FFA officers to The White House.
Glenn Smith, the 1977-78 Georgia FFA president, remembers that day fondly.
“During the White House ceremony, this 17-year-old high schooler was simply in awe of the moment as this was my first trip to Washington, D.C. Since I was from Georgia, I was privileged to present the President with the FFA Alumni Life Membership. As I recall, I reminded the President that he had previously joined the FFA Alumni Association…and that it was time to renew his membership!”
“President Carter was good-natured and was very appreciative of the lifetime membership, but also appreciative of the continued good work of FFA and vo-ag in training up a new generation of agriculturalists and leaders. It was for me an affirmation that through FFA, we could make a difference in life and change the world around us.”
Giving a speech in Washington, D.C., to the National FFA Organization’s State Presidents’ Conference in 1979, Carter told the crowd, “The first public words that I ever said in a position of responsibility … ‘I keep an accurate record of all meetings and correspond with other secretaries wherever corn is grown and future farmers meet.’”
About the role of FFA secretary, he continued, “I can vouch for the fact that it’s good preparation for the highest elective office in our nation.”
Carter may have been stationed by the ear of corn as FFA secretary, but peanuts were his family’s crop. After high school, he went on to post-secondary school, received a degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, served in the U.S. Navy, took over the family farm, and became a state senator and governor of Georgia.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of President Jimmy Carter. Carter lived out our FFA Motto, ‘Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve,’ every day of his life,” said Scott Stump, chief executive officer of the National FFA Organization. “Our thoughts are with his family, and we are grateful for the example he set for FFA members and our next generation of leaders.”
During his address at the 1978 National FFA Convention, Carter told members, “…whether one is the secretary of a local FFA chapter, which I was, or the president of the greatest nation on Earth, it’s our responsibility together as partners, as common leaders, to bring out the best in the people who observe us and to make even greater the greatest nation on Earth.”
Carter also poignantly spoke about making tough calls as a leader, saying to FFA members, “the most difficult decisions of all, the toughest decisions almost invariably, I have found, must be made alone.”
More about FFA Alumni Life Member and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter:
- Carter included FFA in his 2001 memoir An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood.
- In a special ceremony in 2014, Carter donated his FFA jacket to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. His donation was joined by four additional historically significant FFA jackets given to the museum’s collection.
- Plains High School, which closed in 1979, now serves as the visitor’s center and museum for the Jimmy Carter National Historic Park. Carter’s wife of 77 years, Rosalynn, was also a graduate.
- Carter and his wife founded a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, The Carter Center, with a mission to promote peace and prevent and resolve conflicts.
- In 2002, Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize.
- Watch as Carter recites the FFA Creed as part of the 85th Anniversary in 2014.
