The sad news about former President Jimmy Carter and his remarkable press conference this morning got the old memory bank fired up invovling the time I saw my first presidential motorcade.
It was in the fall of 1978. I was hopelessly infatuated with a girl who didn't know I existed. I had nothing going for me as a complete non-entity on a big campus. The one thing I did enjoy was being a very minor member of the WRSU-FM in New Brunswick sports staff. This student run radio station was where I met lifelong friends, with whom today I communicate on almost a daily basis.
Anyhow former New York Knick star Bill Bradley was running for Senate in New Jersey against Jeff Bell. We received word in our newsroom that President Carter was coming along with New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne to a Bill Bradley rally on campus. Even though not a Jimmy Carter fan at the time, I thought this would be fun.
The night before the visit the main drag through town College Avenue. was a beehive of activity. The street was repaved for the first time since 1925 I think.!! What was amazing was that this was only 16 years since the JFK assassination and it was pretty obvious what the motorcade route was going to be!! Not a whole lot of security precautions.
There was a just a small crowd the next afternoon but it was enthusiastic as the motorcade rolled by. President Carter, Governor Byrne (Who is still alive and probably is the only person in US history to outlive an arena named after him!) and Bill Bradley all stood up and were clearly visible. Of the three, Bradley was easily the most popular. Carter looked older in person than he did on TV. What clearly stands out my mind is what happened just before he passed me.
A group of African American Students gave him the "Black Power" salute made famous 10 years earlier by John Carlos and Tommy Smith at the 1968 Olympics. And President Carter smiled and returned the salute. For just a fleeting second, the group of students were stunned. Then they all cheered.
Years later, when my friend was named principal of the Jimmy Carter Elementary School in Palm Desert, I contacted his media relations people in Georgia. Within a week an autographed photo and letter from the former President arrived at the school.
With his work for charity for decades, Jimmy Carter has proven to be at the top of the list of men and what they can accomplish after the Presidency. I wish him well.
Steve Kelly is a free lance journalist based in Cathedral City California. He can be reached at svericker@yahoo.com.
Great piece about a great and kind man.
ReplyDelete