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In 1975, I was the president of the Florida State University (FSU) Young Democrats. I brought the former governor of Georgia to the campus in Tallahassee to make a speech.
His name was Jimmy Carter. Everyone else called him “Jimmy Who?” I introduced him as “the next President of the United States.” My friends all laughed and laughed. Later, I laughed last.
In 1975, we recreated the Florida Democratic Party Convention, which hadn’t been held since 1903, specifically to hold a Presidential Straw Poll, so we party activists could vote for Carter over George Wallace and prove that New South Governor Carter could beat Old South Governor Wallace.
It worked, and Carter rode that momentum to a win in the ’76 Florida primary. Yet after all that, I joined Mike Abrams and Sergio Bendixen in ’79 in the Draft Ted Kennedy Campaign.
I never regretted that, because Teddy was so inspiring, but I did come to appreciate Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter anew in the ensuing years for all their wonderful work.
His work in supporting democracy and eradicating disease as an ex-president was truly remarkable. One last story (there are lots of others, too many to tell here). I was chair of our Miami-Dade (M-D) County Democratic Party for almost 12 years, from mid-1989 through the recount in 2000.
One of our long-running community projects, to prove we didn’t just show up at election time asking for people’s votes, was helping to build homes with Habitat for Humanity. (We should consider reactivating that project, in part as a tribute to Jimmy and Rosalynn.)
Our first project was near Homestead. Our second one, in Liberty City, featured Jimmy and Rosalynn as part of the team. They were amazing. I personally never saw anyone who could drive a nail with a hammer as straight and true as Rosalynn Carter.
As we were out there that day, some dastardly moron did a drive-by and fired a random shot at us. It grazed the scalp of our friend Pat Morris, today on Mayor Levine Cava’s staff, passing through his hat. Pat got first aid, got the wound dressed, and went right back to work. A real hero. Neither Jimmy nor Rosalynn as much as blinked. They just kept working.
Jimmy Carter was an American hero. He will be greatly missed. I hope everyone honors his legacy by renewing their dedication to the principles we share, justice, freedom, liberty and democracy. He never gave up fighting for these things, and we must all do the same. That he (and Rosalynn, an extraordinary First Lady) also fought for these principles with dignity, humility and grace, was an added bonus and a further lesson to us all.
Rest in peace, Jimmy Carter. Your extraordinary legacy honors and inspires us all.
Joseph S. Geller
Joseph S. Geller is a member of the Miami-Dade County School Board.
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