♪♪ good afternoon. i am chris jansing. thank you for joining us for special coverage of the service to honor the life of former first lady rosalynn carter. we are watching an extraordinary gathering that is making its way to atlanta. that service is scheduled to begin in the coming minutes. rosalynn carter died last week at the age of 96. today she is being remembered both for her tireless humanitarian efforts, and, of course, her life long love story with her husband, former president jimmy carter. you see the empty pews there. and they will soon be filled with some of the most notable politicians in the country, among the mourners at glen memorial church. they include president biden and first lady jill biden, vice president harris and second gentleman doug inhofe, former president bill clinton and hillary clinton, along with every other living former first lady, laura bush will be there, michelle obama, melania trump. even at that, the most moving image we expect to see today will be of president carter himself. 99 years old, in hospice care since february, he is making a rare public appearance to honor his wife, a woman he called an extension of myself. over their more than 77 years of marriage, the two did everything together, what a great picture of them there, often sitting close to each other, his arm around her, or you can see that wherever they went, holding hands. in her final hours, the two had their beds positioned so they could be face to face. rosalynn carter was much more than the wife of a former president. although history will remember her for helping elevate that position. she carved out a unique role in american life, spending decades as one of the nation's leading advocates for mental health and women's rights. her combination of tenacity and southern charm earning her the nickname the steel magnolia. it is that spirit that drove what may have been her life's work, to create what she described as a more caring society. her own words are quoted prominently in the program for today's service, do what you can to show you care about others, and you will make our world a better place. nbc's blayne alexander joins me from atlanta. kelly o'donnell is at the white house for us. richard lui joins me here in new york. also with me, msnbc contributor jonathan alter, author of "his very best: jimmy carter, a life." so good to have all of you with us. i was watching a little earlier, seeing the hearse just pulling up outside the church. set the scene for us, blayne. >> reporter: you're absolutely right. there have been so many stunning scenes already so far this morning as we watched those dignitaries that you rattled off, watched the motorcades pull up and watch the reverence here. i want to tell you about something you can't see outside the church, what is happening inside is invitation only with live streamed, but just across the street from where i'm standing, there are dozens and dozens of people leaning up against barricades, coming out to pay their respects, to catch a glimpse of the former first lady's casket and the other people who are coming and this kind of represents something that we have seen all along, from plains to america's georgia to the carter center and at emory university, which is so many people are just coming out to line the streets and show their love and respect for the former first lady. so, yes, as we set the scene with that, what we're expecting to see inside really is going to be a beautiful reflection of a life well lived. of course you talked about the very big names, current and past occupants of the white house that are going to be here. and certainly when we talk about that, we talk about her husband, knowing the fact he is 99 years old, he's been in hospice care since february we know it was not easy for him to get here. it is 160 miles or so from their hometown down in plains up here to atlanta. he made that trip, i'm told he was here yesterday, he was resting to make sure that he could be in attendance today. so, in addition to the names that we know, we're also going to hear from their children. grandchildren, great grandchildren are all going to play a role. much of the music that we hear is going to be music that was very special to rosalynn carter. music that were her favorite songs and arrangements, even one of the pianists will be somebody who was a long time favorite of the carters. so this is certainly going to wrap up her rich life of service and we'll see so much of her personality reflected during this service today, chris. >> thank you so much for that, blayne. you see governor brian kemp walking in with his first lady, the mayor of atlanta georgia i believe was coming in behind. this was a driven and yet humble woman. her father drove a school bus and ran a farm. her mother worked in the school lunch room. when she was asked how she would like to be remembered, this is what she said. i would like for people to think that i took advantage of the opportunities i had and did the best i could. how do you think what we'll see in the next hour or two will reflect not just the girl who grew up in plains, georgia, not just the first lady, but the way she really lived her life to reflect the values that she held. >> well, chris, this was an epic american life. when you think about that tiny town of 650 people that both jimmy and rosalynn carter came from, and they met 96 years ago, just days after rosalynn smith was born because jimmy's mother was a nurse and she delivered rosalynn. so that's how long they knew each other. but this life of decency and strength and commitment and honesty, it is such a refreshing message in today's world that we can celebrate a woman who led life as it really should be led. i think that's a value judgment we can make, that this was a model american life. >> she was not afraid to stand up for things that may have been controversial, maybe not popular, or ahead of her time. she really profoundly believed , for example, in the era, we talked about women's rights. when she founded the rosalynn carter institute for caregivers, she said there are four kinds of people in this world, those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers. why was this so important to her? >> and she brought that same message, chris, to congress, to say this is important. you know, it started when she was a kid, a child, helping mom to take care of dad, dad was battling cancer, she was a child caregiver. that moved on to later on then caring for her husband, jimmy carter, and then later on receiving care, so, she lived all four of those descriptions that she brought to us when she started that particular foundation and institute. and it is something that came very strangely was when they were running for governor, and she was out in the streets, and she met a couple that needed help, was going through an emotional battle. she got in line for jimmy carter and said what are you going to do to help the fellow georgians? he said what are you doing getting in line for q&a and he said this counts. he said i guess we better do something and she said who is going to do it, he said, i guess i know, you. she was a trailblazer about thinking about others. >> there is no doubt about that. we are looking at the outside of the church. we saw arriving on the the inside georgia's two u.s. senators, raphael warnock and jon ossoff as we continue to wait for the many other dignitaries to arrive. we should note, kelly o'donnell, that despite the fact that president biden and other notable politicians are going to attend today, none of them will be speaking. and, in fact, president biden isn't just there because he's president. he has a long history with the carters, that goes back to 1976, if not before. tell us about that relationship that continued through all those decades. >> it is indeed a long and enduring relationship and president biden would be quick to say he was the first u.s. senator to endorse jimmy carter as a candidate. he was young in his senate career then. and, of course, we often make a point of the age of the current president. well, part of his long sweep of public life means he was in office and working with jimmy carter when he was acting as president. so it is a long relationship. and it is one that certainly settles on a lot of the same causes and concerns. and we also saw how president biden knew in his time in office, made a special trip with the first lady, dr. jill biden, to visit with the carters personally at their home in plains to make that connection again. and certainly it is a part of a long friendship, and part of the respect that when we see the current president, former president clinton, who also had as a -- he was also a southern democratic governor, when he became president, part of their bond, and as you know, chris, it is tradition when we say good-bye to first ladies that all the living first ladies attend and so that is part of why we're se when a former president dies, it is elevated to a state funeral. this is something that is about more family and her life story, which is why the current president is not speaking, the carter family gets to create this remembrance and tribute ceremony today. i've spent a lot of time in plains and when you are there, you also see how really two different parts of rosalynn carter come together. it is the woman known by her community, where the good works and the organizations that she has been so a part of are thriving there. and, of course, the national and global reputation. when a president and first lady are in office there, perhaps the most famous people in the world and in small plains, she and president carter remained incredibly important to that community. even as the politics around them has changed over time, they are beloved in their hometown and the work that they do has been very much about contributing to their neighbors, to people around the globe, with democracy, and healthcare policy, people around the country who needed a home built through habitat for humanity, there has been so much that they have been actively doing, while leading in many ways a simple kind of life. famous, involved, politically engaged, mrs. carter did not shy away from saying that she enjoyed politics and that is something right there we're seeing the daughter of former president johnson, that's linda baynes johnson, with her husband chuck robb, a former senator in the state of virginia. so you get a sense that presidential families come together here. and that's part of what these tributes are, as you know, fist ladies are beloved in a way, in our country, that goes beyond the politics of the moment. and that is part of why you'll see that reflected of the respect and the honor and the affection which we don't often see in politics. but we do when it comes to our first ladies, chris. >> i would say, jonathan, the admiration for the carters and people who may not have agreed at all with the politics of the president or some of the stands that rosalynn carter made or the way she really broke barriers as a first lady. at the time, it seemed like that was a little step too far. and yet it is impossible almost to find someone who doesn't admire the way that she has lived her life, the way that she has continued to serve, and maybe a little envy of the relationship that they had as well. you were fortunate enough to spend time with them, when you were writing his book. tell us about the rosalynn carter you saw. >> just tremendously gracious, charming, and strong, formidable woman. when you spoke to her, you had the sense of a -- a unique combination of compassion and a willingness to work on behalf of what she believed and a lot of people are compassionate, they write a check once and a while for something, but they don't actually get out there and do something. and it is interesting that this service today is being held in a methodist church on the campus of emory university. rosalynn carter was born and raised a methodist, and then she became a baptist and for many decades and they worshipped at a baptist church, but the credo of methodism is do as much as you can for as many as you can for as long as you can. and for rosalynn carter, that wasn't a platitude. every time you talked to her, she had a charming sense of humor, she would always be back on point about what could they do, even if it was building a path for butterflies, literally, in plaplains, georgia, there is butterfly path that she developed. and that was one of hundreds -- >> literally hundreds. >> -- literally hundreds of things that she did locally and nationally and internationally as kelly o'donnell pointed out. >> i just want to say, today, some of the women walking in are actually wearing butterfly pins. it is one of the things she is known for. >> but i just think that it is the reason that she was always popular, even when her husband slipped way down in the polls, she was never unpopular. there was some controversy when she began sitting in on cabinet meetings, silently, but the controversy ended because people in washington understood that she was actually making a significant policy contribution. and the fact that her husband, as she said often stubborn husband didn't always listen to her didn't mean that all the aides and senators weren't glad that she was in the room. because her advice was very sound, especially her political advice. and so this really -- it was very hard to find anybody, didn't find anybody in five years of research, 250 interviews for my book, and a lot of the book is about rosalynn carter, i didn't find a single person with a critical word to say about her. not true of her husband. but it was true of her. that's how formidable and gracious and impressive she was. >> part of what is impressive is, again, the work that she did, what she accomplished, richard. you know the field of care giving very well, having done it for your dad, written a book about it, observed what rosalynn carter did. it is not an easy subject or to dedicate yourself too. care giving by its nature is extraordinarily difficult, often done for a person you love. often done at your own emotional, physical, mental expense. >> right. >> what was it about her, do you think that made her able to do that and i'm curious, and feel free to jump in as well on this, jonathan, their relationship in the end. i mean, he was still teaching sunday school when he was 96. she was still doing work well into her -- >> he would be cutting the grass and she would be vacuuming. just to give you a sense of how modest they were. >> i think there is -- >> $160,000, you know, this is -- these are people who did not believe in putting on airs, put it mildly. >> if i'm remembering correctly, in your book, you actually write about someone, he was -- he was in the church yard working. and somebody walked up to him, we lost the signal for a second, somebody walked up to him and asked if this was a church, where the former president worshipped, and it was jimmy carter and he said, yes, it is. and when he went inside, she was working as you say, inside the sanctuary, they were people who would eat off of paper plates, right? >> i did that with them. yeah. and they weren't faking it. this was who they were. some people thought it was a mistake for jimmy carter to depomp the presidency. the president should seem more like a king. they didn't really think that. occasionally she thought her husband went too far when he would turn down the temperature as part of his conservation efforts and she said, jimmy, can't you turn up the temperature a little bit. but mostly she went along with that modesty. >> and then their famous bills around the world, they were building homes for those in need, they would not stay in a special tent. they would not eat in any other different place. you would see them walking around in these builds when i was with them over the last ten years and they would eat from the same paper plates that you're talking about, hold hands and kiss in public, and they would sit with everybody in the middle of the mess hall that were building homes, that truly was who they were and are. that idea of them taking care of each other and what you started the hour by saying they faced each other, i've been speaking with the team and they keep on talking about what will now, the former president do, because a famous cartoon that is circulated within their team, rosalynn carter's team specifically, is a cartoon showing them facing each other. this is before they actually had beds facing each other, and in the bubble it says, i'm your caregiver. and in his bubble, it says, i'm your caregiver. them taking care of each other. so the journey now when i was speaking with chip carter on sunday was, you know what, i don't know what my dad is going to do now, and through his tears right now, what i realized, he also told me it was the first time that he hugged his dad when he was 65, talking about this very topic. and at the age of 65 he went through that for the third time this is a topic very close, but also something not necessarily often talked about. as jonathan so well said in his book, they're a very public but very private family at the same time. this is a small town gathering that we're seeing here in atlanta. and it is a big town event, though. and when i was talking with chip, he was saying -- >> let me play a little bit. the interview was so great. we don't have an opportunity to hear from the family very often. so this is part of richard's conversation with chip carter. >> every morning when i walked into the house, i would say, the only reason i came is for my hug, you know? she would -- i would get a great hug, been doing that for many years before the last six, but that's the reason i came down, at least as far as she was concerned and that was a big deal. that was part of it. i would walk in and she would hold her arms up wanting a hug. that was good. >> and, you know, chris, during that, he also said there were days she did not recognize him. but once they would open their arms together, she would go oh, and she would come up and hug him and during that hug there would be that moment of saying, that's you, chip. he would drive, talking about care giving, two to three times a week, six-hour round trip, to go down and take care of both of them. he was certainly the guy that showed up, throughout this entire time, and so right now for him, it is really what will be next. he was saying thursday will be the day that he can really sit down with and he was talking about crying and just letting himself feel through what will now be a different journey as he now has to take the lead in taking care of his father, where it was his mother, rosalynn carter, who had been doing that. >> just on the care giving point, in the 1970s, before, this concept didn't exist. there are currently 53 million caregivers in the united states. they didn't even have a category, much of it is unpaid work, of course. >> and untrained. >> and rosalynn did so much to kind of put it on the map as an idea that this -- that this work has value and she had to do a lot of it in her own family, including for chip who has been very public about his past substance abuse problems, others in the family had all the kinds of problems that afflict most american families and she was often the caregiver. and, but then, jimmy carter became the caregiver. the reason he went into hospice, he did not want to spend another night apart from her, back in the hospital. he said i'm not ever going in the hospital again, i'm going to stay here with rosalynn. >> and so he did. you're seeing a gathering there. these are the honorary pallbearers, the grandchildren of rosalynn and jimmy carter. jason, sarah, margaret, hugo, john michael, casey, james earl carter iv, joshua jeffrey carter, james carlton carter, errol kelly, and sarah elizabeth reynolds. this is very much -- we had a feeling for it in the interview you did, a family that much like the couple that people admired, a family that people often admired. >> admired and, you know, he was telling me how they used to sit down for dinner and that it was always -- >> let me just -- obviously saw the vice president, you see melania trump, you see michelle obama, laura bush, hillary clinton, former president bill clinton, and behind them, the current president, joe biden, first lady dr. jill biden, who are coming as we're about to begin this tribute. let me allow you to finish your thought as we wait for the casket to be brought into the church. >> as we watched chip carter walk in, the middle son, he was saying how at the dinner table, rosalynn carter would always support the children's ideas. she would fight for the ideas and guess who was the one that always would say hang on a second, what's the proof behind that, of course, that was the former president jimmy carter. and what chip was sharing was that he and rosalynn carter shared something special that they could look at each other and actually sometimes finish ideas or think of an idea together, but just by seeing each other, you know when you have a parent and child that get along very well, that was the case with chip carter and rosalynn carter. >> i think they all got along, they had 22 grandchildren and great grandchildren, very close family that until recent years they all go on vacation together as a huge pack and the only thing that would cause tension is that jimmy carter didn't like people to be late. he had a schedule like they used to have in the white house. and rosalynn was the only one who got special permission to be late. she got it as a birthday present one year. and from her. he was a wood worker for much of his life and he made a special wooden plaque allowing her to be late, which she said was the best gift she ever received. but i think it is just the modesty of this family. so, ways really thinking about jimmy carter last night, because this was the first time, of course, he's been in atlanta since this happened. and when they stay at the carter center in atlanta, they sleep on a murphy bed, if you can believe that. they showed it to me. the secret service pulled down the murphy bed, because they wanted to use the space that would otherwise go for a bedroom for rosalynn's office. and just the idea of him sleeping there alone last night, was very moving. together for 77 years, fewer than a thousand american couples can say that. >> the longest married couple of -- among the former presidents. the longest secret service protection. there are many members of the secret service who have been with them for a very long time. and as they enter the glen memorial church at emory university, there is among many a large floral display from emory, mrs. carter often turned to experts there to advance access for those who are struggling with mental illness and creating a support system for caregivers. this was a woman who lived every day what she spoke about, her faith, her family, her country, we're going to go now inside this service and bring it to you in its entirety. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ >> there is the atlanta symphony orchestra with "america the beautiful" after we saw jimmy carter who left hospice care from his home in plains, georgia, and made a long and what was surely a difficult journey. he was not going to allow others to say good-bye to the woman who stood by his side for 77 years. much of what we'll hear in this coming memorial will be from other members of their family, including henry louis carter and jason james carter. james carter ♪ for amber waves of grain ♪ ♪ for purple mountains' majesty above the fruited plain ♪ ♪ america america ♪ ♪ god shed his grace on thee ♪ ♪ and crown thy good with brotherhood ♪ ♪ from sea to shining sea ♪ ♪ o beautiful ♪ america, america ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ >> please be seated. with president greg finbus of emory university and the congaegs of glen memorial united methodist church, i welcome you to this space and this hour. as we praise god and give thanks for the life of rosalynn smith carter. we gather also, of course, to surround this family with our love as they mourn the loss of a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother. friends, today let us affirm together the faith rosalynn lived so beautifully. death, though real, does not have the last word. and god's love is greater than any foe and the way of service and grace in this world is the way of eternal life. even now. let us pray. almighty god, we step away from the demands of the day to give thanks for the life of your child, rosalynn. we celebrate 96 years of faith and love. but we rejoice in moments shared with her, memories cherished now as treasures. in this hour, renew our spirits by your holy spirit, that we, likenn, might, with courage and grace, do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with you throughout our days. in the name of jesus christ, we pray. amen. >> maya angelou wrote, when great trees fall, when great trees fall, rocks on a distant hill shutter and lions hunker down in tall grasses and elephants lumber after safety. when great trees fall in the forest, small things recoil into silence, their senses eroded beyond fear. when great souls die, the air around us becomes light, rare and sterile. we breathe briefly. our eyes are filled with hurtful clarity and our memory suddenly sharpens, examines the words unsaid and promises of walks never taken. but did you know that in isaiah chapter 40, verse 28 says, do you not know and have you not heard the lord is the everlasting god, the creator of the earth. he is not -- he will not grow tired or weary in his understanding no one can fathom. he gives us strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak. and even youth grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall. here's where i shout and get happy, it says for those who hope in the lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not go weary, they will walk and not faint. i'm going to have chip carter come and tell you about a great soul. >> i want to welcome all of you here. thank you for coming to help my family and to mourn with my family and mostly just celebrating a life well lived. my mother was the glue that held our family together. through the ups and downs and thicks and things of our family's politics, as individuals she believed in us, and took care of us. when i was 14, i supported president johnson for president. and every day i wore a johnson sticker on my shirt. and periodically i would get beat up and my shirt torn and the buttons pulled off, and my sticker always destroyed. and i would walk the block during lunch from school down to carters warehouse and my mother would have a shirt in the drawer, already mended, buttons sewn on, and the lbj sticker still applied. years later she was influential in getting me into rehab for my drug and alcohol addiction. she saved my life. when i started making speeches for dad in his political career, i was so nervous, i often vomited in the waiting room before we went on stage. one day after debating seven other children of offspring of candidates for president and i called my mother and told her how nervous i got. and she told me something that i have used a thousand times since. she said, chip, is you can do anything for 20 minutes except hold your breath. when i was in the second grade at plains high school, they had a donkey basketball game in the stadium -- in the school building there to raise money for the school. and my mother rode her donkey as fast as it would slowly go, right under the goal, spun around so she was facing its tail, caught the pass and made the winning two points. she was my hero that night. and she has been my hero ever since. a couple of years ago mom and i were talking, when she said that dad asked her when dad asked her to marry her for the second time, she said yes. but she expected him to provide with for her a life of adventure. he told her that it would happen. she told me that she lived on both coasts and hawaii while in the navy and began her family. mom said that when it was decided they would leave the navy and move back to plains, that she was upset. and the family story is that they rode in the car from connecticut to plains, georgia, and when mom had something to say to dad, she would say, jack, would you tell your father -- when dad ran for office the first time, my mother ended up running carters warehouse, she loved it. every time he would go on a campaign trip or during the legislative session, she was really pleased to be in the office and be the boss. excuse me. she told me that when dad started running for president, that the thing that she enjoyed the most was the people that she met across the country. and that from working in carters warehouse, she said i was able to speak the languages and prices and yields and relate to every day issues and inform families, especially in iowa. she said because of that, she's the one that helped win that election there. then as first lady of the united states, always trying to follow the teaching of jesus. and to do what he taught her to do as a guideline. she said, you will always get criticized by somebody for everything you do. so you might as well do what's right. she and dad were able to make a positive difference in people's lives, and that of so many families too. my parents, 77-year partnership is often talked about. mom was always well informed on the issues of the day. in the white house, mom asked dad so many questions that he finally said that she should attend cabinet meetings. so she did and caught a lot of flack for that. but she was in, able to speak on authority with issues across our country and the world. she would often try and often fail to get dad to do what was right politically. when she couldn't change dad's mind, she would repeat to herself, a leader takes people where they want to go. a great leader takes people where they need to go. losing the election in 1980 was devastating to us all. my parents were still young, my mother only 53. and they knew they still had more to contribute. they decided they would become missionaries, and spent months trying to decide how to accomplish their goal. finally they decided as partners to start the carter center, which would allow my mother to continue to fight the stigma of mental illness and allow them both to help the poorest of the poor on this earth as jesus had taught them. mom started the rosalynn carter institute for caregivers at georgia southwestern university to train and support those who help others. at the same time, mom and dad continued to support habitat for humanity, and mom continued to support the friendship force. she told me that her adventures had led her to more than 120 countries. she had been fly fishing all over the world. she had met kings and queens, presidents, others in authority, powerful corporate leaders and celebrities. she said the people that she felt the most comfortable with and the people she enjoyed being with the most were those t lived in absolute abject poverty. the ones without adequate housing, without a proper diet, and without access -- and she had probably had more adventures than anybody else on earth. mom was always fun to be with. halloween before the pandemic mom showed up at amy's house. amy lives on the street which closes down on halloween and every house is decorated. mom was beautifully dressed as a monarch butterfly. the secret service were dressed casually but perfectly as secret service agents. she proceeded to go up and down the street with her grand, great, grand and great grandchildren. she got back to amy's was so excited because she had been out so much and nobody had recognized her. after dad went in, was put in hospice, and my mother was ripe with dementia, my siblings, my wife and i would stay with them so that they would always be a family member around. one day my mother was sitting with my wife becky, and she was reminiscing on what it was like to go to live in hawaii. and she was talking about learning all of the native dances. and she got it from the sofa, pushed her walker away, which she couldn't take a step without, and proceeded to do the hula for two or three minutes. she grabbed her walker, turned around, sat back on the sofa and turned to my wife and said, that's how you do it. i will always love my mother. i will cherish how she and dad raised their children. they had given us such a great example of how a couple should relate. let me finish by saying that my mother, rosalynn carter, was the most beautiful woman i have ever met. and pretty to look at too. thank you. [ applause ] >> thank you, chip. next we'll have the reading of the lord's prayer. would you read it with me, please. our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive us our trespassers as we forgive those who trespass against us. lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the glory and the power and the glory forever. amen. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ blessed assurance jesus is mine ♪ ♪ glory divine ♪ ♪ blessed salvation blessings of god ♪ ♪ this is my story this is my song ♪ ♪ praising my savior all the day long ♪ ♪ this is my story this is my song ♪ ♪ praising my savior all the day long ♪ ♪♪ ♪ watching and waiting ♪♪ ♪ this is my story this is my song praising my savior all the day long this is my story this is my song praising my savior all the day long ♪♪ >> a reading from the book of philippians chapter four, verse 13. i can do all things through christ who strengthens me. president biden, dr. biden, president carter, jack, chip, jeff, amy, very distinguished guests and friends. rosalynn carter was my boss and became my very good friend. she hired me to direct her projects office at the white house and has kept me busy as her volunteer ever since. we shared so many special times together. shopping for beads in a market in ghana. popping in unannounced to a peer support program in americus, georgia, bird watching at a carter center. what a remarkable woman she was. wife, mother, business manager, political strategist, diplomat, advocate, author. yet what i remember most about her was her tireless dedication to taking care of others. she was often fond of recalling the time margaret mead came to visit her in the white house. she said to her then, our success as a society and value as individuals must be measured by the compassion we show for the most vulnerable among us. in many ways, dr. mead had captured the very essence of rosalynn carter. the issues that claimed her time and attention. mental health, support for care givers, childhood immunization, problems of the elderly, neglected tropical diseases, even building latrines to prevent the spread of a blinding eye disease. these weren't glamorous or sexy causes yet she brought leadership to the lives of millions. rosalynn's compassion and empathy for those suffering was boundless. her passion for action even more so. i shall never forget the day as first lady, she decided to personally visit the refugee camps in thailand where thousands of cambodians lay ill and dying. i have to do something, she said. rosalynn was determined to help. the doctors in the camps called her the yankee angel. as a result of her efforts, a broad coalition came together and raised tens of millions of dollars for refugee relief. her tenure as first lady was just one chapter in a life devoted to caring and doing good for others. with president carter, she founded the carter center as one of the world's foremost humanitarian organizations. she invited me one year to join her on a trip in west africa. in a small village in northern ghana, she insisted i come meet a little boy being treated in a containment center. you have to see the worm, she said. you have to see how much suffering it causes. the alleviation of suffering has been an integral part of rosalynn's life for as long as i've known her. while campaigning for her husband early one morning at a factory gate, a woman covered in cotton dust approached her. what is your husband going to do as governor of georgia to help my daughter whos suffering from mental illness? thus began her more than 50-year career as a mental health advocate. lobbying first her husband, then the united states congress, and finally later, the w.h.o., to increase support for mental health. when students at her alma mater, georgia south western, documented the isolation, stress and burnout that afflicted so many care givers in their community, she lent her support to the creation of the rosalynn carter institute for care givers. today, it is a national advocate for programs to build resilience and strength in families navigating the daunting challenges of caring for loved ones. a challenge that her own family has confronted with grace these last few years. even the flight of the monarch butterfly did not escape rosalynn's attention. threatened by loss of habitat at an alarming decline, who the monarch needed an advocate and who better than rosalynn. she first started with her garden in plains then she created a butterfly trail across georgia and finally, she wrote michelle obama that the butterflies needed a garden on the white house grounds. a short time later, there was a garden on the south lawn. what a remarkable life she led. born at a time and in a place where segregation was the norm. as a young wife, she joined the fight against racial discrimination in her church and her community. raised in an era when opportunities for women were limited as best, she became an ardent advocate for the equal rights amendment. she ensured women were well represented in the senior ranks of government and she even successfully lobbied her husband for equal pay for her east wing staff. something for which i shall always be grateful. married at 18 and the mother of three little boys by the age of 25, she became an invaluable business partner in the peanut warehouse operation. when jimmy carter decided to run for the state senate without consulting her, the last time he ever did that, she still pitched in as a key campaigner and political strategist. a role in which she excelled in the years that followed. she served our country as one of its most activist and accomplished first ladies. her legacy is defined not only by her work in mental health, but also by the multiple roles she played as jimmy carter's closest adviser. personal emissary to the leaders of seven latin american countries, consultant on his most important speeches, lobbiest for key issues and spokesperson on key policy matters. once, as she departed for iowa two days after the grain embargo had been announced, she quipped i happen to be the first one out after a major decision, but it's interesting. whether it was the mideast peace negotiations at camp david on planning strategy for the democratic national convention in 1980, she was present and a full participant. she loved her time in washington and was very sad to leave, but she returned to georgia ready to pursue her passion to as she once said, use my influence to give voice to those who may be powerless and persuade the powerful to listen. as i had the privilege of knowing rosalynn over the years, i was constantly reminded that for her, life was truly about helping others and finding joy in the simple act of service. she never sought fame, fortune, or accolades for the work that she did. although her accomplishments have been widely recognized and honored. in so many different ways, she promoted a more caring society. a number of years ago at the end of an interview with jon stewart then of "the daily show," where she had lobbied him to pay more attention to fighting the stigma of mental illness, offered to award him a rosalynn carter fellowship to improve his reporting skills. he looked at her and said, mrs. carter, you are truly one of the good people in this world. today, we do indeed mourn a remarkable person. one of the truly good people