LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Former Kentucky Secretary of State Bob Babbage is reflecting on the life and legacy of President Jimmy Carter, who passed away at 100 years old on Sunday.
Babbage served as an advance staffer under the Carter administration while also serving as an assistant to Kentucky Governor Julian Carroll.
"We traveled ahead of the President and Vice President or First Lady and set up the trips, set up the visits, working with local folks, Secret Service and others," Babbage said.
In one particular visit to Bardstown, an iconic photograph shows Carter sitting on the roof of a car, waving to paradegoers lining the street.
"Of course, security went crazy, and the crowd went crazy, and it was a photograph that still gets around," Babbage said.
Babbage said Carter will be remembered for his character and his philanthropy work, beyond his term in the White House.
"He was just simply good. He just came across as a good person who relied on his faith, his experience as a farmer, that related to a lot of Kentuckians in rural parts of the state," he said.
He described Carter as "sincere" and "consistent", referencing his work with Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Center after leaving office.
His down-to-earth demeanor and faith, he said, created a wide appeal for the president.
"It was a shocker to see a political leader in work clothes, basically farm, work clothes. You just didn't expect that," Babbage expressed.
Now, 45 years after the parade through Bardstown, the legacy of the peanut farmer-turned-president lives on.
