A superfan. A pastor. A professor. Why they came to Plains for Jimmy Carter’s funeral
Those in Jimmy Carter’s hometown Thursday came from different backgrounds, but they were there for the same reasons.
That was to be among the hundreds of folks lining the 1-mile route in Plains, Georgia, from Maranatha Baptist Church to 209 Woodland Drive, where the 39th president of the United States would be interred next to his wife at the Carter family compound.
The motorcade marked the final event in the six-day state funeral honoring the life of former President Jimmy Carter, who died two weeks ago at 100. His one-term presidency ended nearly half a century ago, but his post-presidency impact on the world continued to inspire people from all walks of life.
The Ledger-Enquirer interviewed three of them Thursday in Plains. Here’s why they braved the frigid temperature to personally pay their respects to Carter in his hometown.
The superfan
Ever since she made a poster about Carter for a social studies project at Blanchard Elementary School in Columbus four decades ago, Tiffany Patten has been a fan of Jimmy Carter.
Now, she probably even qualifies as a superfan.
Patten, 49, is senior manager of claims compliance for Aflac in Columbus. As a first-grader, she liked Jimmy Carter because he was from her state and talked with her accent. But as an adult, the admiration was much more substantial.
“It doesn’t have anything to do with politics,” she said. “Outside of my family, he has been kind of a north star to me for integrity and decency and what it means to be principled and selfless, not to be worried about what other people think or other people do or the consequences of doing the right thing.”
That’s why Patten wore her sweatshirt emblazoned with the question “WHAT WOULD JIMMY CARTER DO?” Patten said she often asks herself that questions when making decisions, such as dealing with issues as a board member for the Stewart Community Home, a nonprofit organization in Columbus providing housing for adults with disabilities.
Among the dozens of visits Patten has made to Plains, she attended one of Carter’s Sunday school lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church to celebrate her birthday in 2019.
“He was speaking about how to make America better and how to be a better person, and what God calls us to do,” she said. “He suggested everybody go and make one new friend every day.”
That day, Carter became Patten’s new friend.
Patten was the last visitor in line for photos with Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, the former first lady. When it was her turn, because nobody else was behind her, Patten had extra time with the Carters.
When the assistant told Carter that it was Patten’s birthday, Carter gave her a hug.
Patten told him, “You’ve been my hero for like my entire life.” And the former president replied, “Well, ain’t you sweet.”
Reflecting on that moment, Patten said, “Other than marriage and giving birth, I mean, it was like the top tier in my life. … He didn’t act like he was being forced to do it. It was like he genuinely wanted to give me a hug on my birthday.”
All of that helps explain why Patten has a giant peanut hanging on her front door, why she has autographed copies of all of Carter’s books – and why she felt compelled to be in Plains on Thursday despite the frigid temperature.
“For what he gave me, he deserves my respect,” she said. “If he can eradicate guinea worm, I can stand in 30-degree weather (to watch his funeral’s motorcade).”
The pastor
The Rev. Curtis Frazier, pastor of Greater Ward Chapel AME Church in Columbus, retired after 20 years in the U.S. Army as a staff sergeant. So, from the pulpit and the military, he knows what a good servant leader looks like and sounds like, and he considers Carter to be an excellent example.
Frazier, born and raised in Pidcock, Georgia, felt a connection to Carter because they both were from a small hometown and pursue a life of service.
“The Word says let your light so shine that people might see your good works and glorify not me but God in Heaven,” Frazier said. “That’s what stood out to me about him. He was determined and focused to let his light shine, no matter where he want, no matter the circumstances. He had a kind of loving spirit and allowed the Holy Spirit to lead him and guide him.”
Frazier lamented that he doesn’t see enough leaders who fit that description in politics now.
“I’m grieved today with him gone,” the pastor said. “Was he the final, loving, kind and decent president? Is this the last one will we ever see of his work again or his spirit again when we’re talking about leaders and presidents of the United States? I’m concerned.”
The professor
Trent Thurman shares Frazier’s concern.
Thurman, 60, is an assistant professor and assistant dean at the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs in Austin. He drove more than 900 miles to be in Plains to see Carter’s funeral motorcade.
Along the drive, he listened on the radio to a eulogy from one of Carter’s grandsons.
“He said that Carter is the same in public as he is in private,” Thurman said. “To me, that’s authentic. I mean, he was going to tell the truth. He was going to tell it like it was, and he wasn’t going to do anything that would place politics over what he thought.”
Thurman noted the authenticity that was considered an asset in helping Carter get elected president as a D.C. outsider in the wake of the Watergate scandal ended up hurting him four years later when he lost his re-election bid.
“If you have to change your core values and beliefs to get elected, I don’t think you are pursuing it for the right reasons,” said Thurman, who previously worked as a legislative correspondent in the office of then-Sen. Al Gore. “I think Carter modeled that his entire life.”
Thurman recalled being an elementary school student in Harriman, Tennessee, when his class conducted a mock election during the 1976 presidential campaign. He supported Carter.
“I was sort of inspired that someone from a small town like I was could reach the highest office in the land,” Thurman said.
Fast forward 48 years, and Thurman was driving the final stretch of road into Plains, listening to music from one of Carter’s favorite bands, the Allman Brothers, when the former president’s spirit inspired him again.
Along the roadside in Richland, about 20 miles away from Plains and at least six hours before Carter’s funeral motorcade would pass by, Thurman saw a woman sitting in a lawn chair and holding a handmade sign with this message:
“Welcome home, President Carter.”
“I got a little teary-eyed,” Thurman said. “You know, it hit me that this really was his final time coming home.”
This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 6:27 PM with the headline "A superfan. A pastor. A professor. Why they came to Plains for Jimmy Carter’s funeral."
