Commercial Truck Insurance in Plains, GA

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Credit: Boze Godwin

The mayor of Plains has resigned after serving 40 years in office.

L.E. Boze Godwin III led the small Southwest Georgia town — home to former President Jimmy Carter and his late wife, Rosalynn — for terms lasting from 1979 through 1984 and 1998 through 2024.

The 80-year-old announced at a council meeting last week that he was stepping down because of health problems.

He says he’s most proud of town residents who helped make the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site a reality.

“I’m proud of the citizens of Plains, all the help that they gave me and the directions that President Carter gave me,” Godwin said. “He didn’t give me political advice but he gave me some directions."

Godwin says the biggest change in Plains since 1979 is the pride residents take in the town, something he attributes to the Carters.

He noted that all the buildings in downtown Plains have been rehabilitated and are populated with businesses.

The population, however, has remained about the same: about 700 residents.

That’s unusual for many small towns in Georgia, where populations are declining.

He credits Plains’ success to its strong-willed residents.

“I just stayed out of these peoples’ way and let them go,” he said. “Their ideas were better than mine and they had good drive.”

As for the Plains peanut farmer who had the biggest drive of them all, Godwin credits Jimmy Carter with making his time as mayor a little easier.

“People would return your phone calls from Atlanta and Washington,” he said. “Prior to that, they didn’t even know you existed.”

Carter, now 99, remains in hospice care.

Godwin said he has known Carter since Godwin was a 10-year-old in Boy Scouts.

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PLAINS, Ga. — Following their years in the White House, former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, could have chosen any location in the world to call home. However, they made a conscious decision to return to Plains, Georgia, where their roots run deep within the community.

From the annual Peanut Festival to the Maranatha Baptist Church, the Carters embraced life in Plains, forging an unprecedented relationship between a community and a president, or any political candidate, as observed by Tom DeTitta, a resident of nearby Americus. DeTitta expressed gratitude Sunday for the times he had the opportunity to meet the Carters, reflecting on the bond between the community and the presidential couple.

"It's an unprecedented relationship between the community and [a] president or really candidate of any nature that we've never seen before and maybe we'll never see again," DeTitta said.

Now reminiscing about Rosalynn Carter's legacy, DeTitta highlighted her significance as one of the most influential first ladies in history.

RELATED: 'First Lady from Plains' | Famous quotes from Rosalynn Carter

"I think what people will ultimately realize is that she is probably one of, if not the most significant first ladies of all time. No other first lady was actually involved in executing the presidency like she was," he said.

In the global arena, Rosalynn Carter is remembered as a champion of mental health, caregiving, and women's rights. In her hometown of Plains, she is celebrated as a loving mother, wife, and aunt, leaving a legacy of kindness that resonates throughout the community.

View photos of Rosalynn Carter's early life below. The story continues after the gallery.

Rosalynn Carter's early life

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On Sunday morning, the Carter's niece, Kim Fuller, stood before the congregation, preaching not only from the Bible but also from her heart.

"I feel really blessed that I was able to be with them. I feel really blessed that I was able to talk to them," Fuller said. "That's what Aunt Rosalynn's legacy is—showing kindness to people, showing kindness to the community."

She shared advice from her aunt Rosalynn and how her legacy can be carried on through everyone.

"I believe that one of the most important things to learn in life is that you can make a difference in your community no matter who you are or where you go," she said.

As Plains continues to cherish its connection with the Carters, the couple's enduring impact is a testament to the power of community and the indelible mark of a compassionate legacy.

PLAINS, Ga. (WALB) - A total of 46 people have held the highest office in our nation, but many in Plains say they admire former president Jimmy Carter most. And one day after the one-year mark of Jimmy Carter entering hospice care, people thought there was no better place to celebrate the 39th president than at his historical national park.

“It’s a day that we celebrate all of the presidents of our wonderful nation and all the work they’ve done for us,” said Reed Elliotte, a program attendee.

Elliotte is one of the youngest aspiring presidents and said he was blessed to have met his inspiration Jimmy Carter before he went into hospice care a year ago.

“I said Mr. Jimmy, you’re my favorite president, and thank you for all you do and I love you and I pray for you every day. He said thank you very much. That’s very kind,” he said.

Just a day after the 1-year mark of the former president’s decision, people are choosing to reflect on his many achievements this Presidents’ Day.

“He was the fifth in line of succession of five Navy presidents from 1961 to 1981. Of course, we’re so happy that he is still here with us and you know he never ceases to amaze us,” said Larry Cook, a presidential historian. “Jimmy Carter had a prolific naval career in his time in the Navy including nuclear training.”

Cook said Carter was selected to head up a team in Canada and prevent a nuclear meltdown. He says at such a young age, Jimmy Carter saved Canada — a fact not many know about.

“He’s truly a global hero and he’s certainly well known in Canada for that,” he said.

Jan Williams, a Plains resident, knows the Carters as neighbors and good friends. She said while she hasn’t seen Jimmy Carter in months, she knows he’s honored to be the oldest living former president.

“To be honest with you, I did not think he would still be here this President’s Day because of hospice coming in but he’s very determined,” she said.

Williams tries to honor Jimmy Carter every day by living the way that he and Rosalynn exemplified throughout their whole lives.

“One of his favorite sayings was ‘If you’ll just love the person in front of you, the world would be a better place.’ And I try every day to make somebody’s life a little better,” she said.

Throughout the long line of our nation’s leaders, Lee Kinnamon, the Americus mayor, said it’s important to honor them as human beings.

“Their character is formed in particular circumstances. We tend to see them as abstractions written about in history books we read when we’re in school. But they’re real people, flesh and blood,” he said.

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This Presidents Day marks a year since former President Jimmy Carter entered into hospice care, and three months since the death of former first lady Rosalynn Carter.

At 99 years old, Carter, who still lives in Plains, Ga., is the oldest living president in history.

At the Jimmy Carter National Historic Park, 2024 marks Presidential Historian Larry Cook’s 13th year speaking on Presidents Day, on the same stage that Carter once walked across for his high school graduation. He remembers the Carters coming to this talk.

"As often as they could, President and Mrs. Carter would be right here in the front row," Cook said of the modest auditorium.

Cook covers presidents other than Carter, but he said he's particularly dedicated to promoting the legacy of Jimmy and Rosalynn, "because it's a unique legacy, even in within the presidency."

Credit: Sofi Gratas / GPB News

Visitors Jeff and Susan Ragusa said it's Carter's story of being from this small town, that gives them hope for the future.

"It makes you feel like anybody maybe — maybe she could grow up and be president," Jeff Ragusa said, pointing to his niece, Riley.

Jill Stuckey, superintendent of the park and friend of the Carters, said it’s been a year full of changes in Plains, but the historic park hopes to keep welcoming visitors.

"You know, we want people to come here," Stuckey said. "We live to tell people about President Carter, about Mrs. Carter and their impact on this town, on this state and on this world."

Stuckey said Plains will soon start planning for Carter's 100th birthday.

Over the weekend, Jason Carter, grandson of Jimmy and Rosalynn, talked with CBS Sunday Morning about his grandfather's life.

"He has seen that that same technology that knits the world together can also pull us apart," Jason Carter said. "He has seen democracy threatened at home and abroad. And he lived to see one of the most important projects of his life — peace for Israel and Palestine — at the brink."

Efforts such as President Carter's 1978 Camp David Accords "remain one of the few foundations for hope in that long and intractable conflict," Jason said. "But he has stayed on the battlefield. After a year in hospice, on a daily basis, we have no expectations for his body. But we know that his spirit is as strong as ever."

Sofi Gratas covers rural health and health care for GPB. She joined GPB in June 2022 as a Report for America Corps member. Based in Macon, her coverage area includes Middle and South Georgia. Her focus is on the crisis facing rural communities that consistently rank near the bottom nationwide in health and health care. Sofi is a 2020 graduate of the University of Georgia's Grady School of Journalism. Prior to joining GPB, she worked at the Red and Black and WUGA.

PLAINS, Ga. (WALB) - Former President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter made their first public appearance in more than seven months at the annual Plains Peanut Festival.

Plains is a town of less than 600 people. It’s typically pretty quiet, but on Saturday, the festival brought in a huge crowd and a surprise appearance from the Carters.

“Yes, I’ve attended before, but this one was more special because, in the later years and Jimmy Carter’s health, it’s best to see him when you can. It’s a blessing to be here because God blessed us to be around to see a lot of things in life,” Gerald Holley, a Plains resident said.

Many people said they could feel the kindness of everyone who attended the parade. The annual Peanut Festival not only highlights Georgia farmers but also the cash crop: peanuts.

“Absolutely wonderful, man, also seeing young people interested in like agriculture, farming and peanuts. It’s really heartwarming, of course, and of course, supporting local Georgia farmers is especially important,” Mason Mulrooney, part of Planters Peanutter based out of Austin, Minnesota, said.

One family started visiting Plains about a year ago and says they fell in love with the community and the Carters.

“It was amazing considering that he is in hospice care, and he is tough enough to come out here. In my opinion, he is one of the toughest men to serve as President, and he is my favorite,” Reed Elliotte, a Corbin, Kentucky resident, said.

“I think it’s so important for the kids to see just to me that’s just being good Americans, good humans, and I think President Carter is a great example of that. And so hopefully kids can really learn about him and just see how he grew up, and see that they can be anything that they want,” Larrietta Elliotte, Corbin, Kentucky resident, said.

Katie Chesebro is a part of the Peanut Mobile and reflects on the impact of growing peanuts. Many farmers can make a living off the crop because of the high demand.

“When you think of peanuts, it’s really easy to just think about something that grows in the ground, and you eat. The number of people that eat them every day, consume them every day, the number of people that make a living growing them,” she said.

For many, the Peanut Festival just wouldn’t be the same without the Carters. So Saturday’s appearance made it much more special.

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