Former President Jimmy Carter is being remembered by friends and fans from Massachusetts for his accomplishments in and out of the White House. Carter died Sunday. He was 100 years old.
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, said Carter will be remembered "for his humble, yet iron-will to do good unto others."
“President Carter navigated our country through a time of great uncertainty in our nation’s institutions, serving during a post-Watergate, post-Vietnam War era," Neal said in a statement. “He left the presidency, only just getting started in his contributions to the world. From championing human rights to eradicating countless diseases and advancing democracy through the Carter Center, President Carter was rightfully awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, modeling for the nation that a helping hand transcends any elected office."
Neal said he first met Carter in 1976 when the then-Democratic nominee for president visited the Springfield Civic Center.
Another Democrat representing parts of western Massachusetts, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern of Worcester, said Carter "led with humility, kindness, and integrity." McGovern noted that work continued after Carter's single term in the White House, from personally building homes with Habitat for Humanity to Carter Center efforts to "promote peace and eradicate disease."
"He did these things not because he had to, but because he believed they were the right things to do," McGovern said in a statement.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey ordered officials to lower flags at state buildings to half-staff for the next month in honor of Carter's legacy.
“President Carter lived a life dedicated to peace, human rights, democracy and moral clarity. He set an enduring example of what it means to serve others, and his legacy will continue [to] inspire generations to come,” Healey said in a statement.
'He rose above it'
Former Pittsfield Mayor Evan Dobelle served as Carter's chief of protocol in parts of 1977 and 1978. Among his duties, Dobelle helped to organize visits from foreign dignitaries.
Dobelle said Carter was warm and cordial, but focused on his duties.
"He never lowered the office to go into some kind of give-and-take combat with either the press or other politicians," Dobelle said in an interview Monday. "He rose above it. He always took the high road."
Dobelle said Carter always tried to help where he could — before and after being president.
“Whenever he could do anything, wherever he was, to make a difference, he would do it,” he said.
Dobelle was succeeded in his position by his wife Kit, who later became chief of staff to first lady Rosalynn Carter.
Cathy Schoen, now a member of the Amherst Town Council, worked on an insurance task force set up by the Carter administration. Schoen said she had a positive impression of the former president.
"We were very fortunate to have a totally honest president who was committed to environment and to bettering the lot of people who didn't have a lot of money," Schoen said. "He really was committed to social change."
NEPM's Adam Frenier contributed to this report.
