Visit with Mary Kilpatrick

October 8-11, 2015

Mary Kilpatrick arrived in Atlanta on Wednesday evening, October 7 and we picked her up at the Atlanta Airport and delivered her to the Hilton Hotel downtown for a medical meeting that she was here to attend. Her meeting started on Thursday and ended Saturday, so we picked her up there at the end of the meeting to spend the night with us and attend Sunday School and church with us. She had a flight out on Sunday afternoon, but was interested in the seeing the Jimmy Carter Presidential Center, so we visited there after lunch.

Brenda and Mary at the Carter Center. We spent most of our time there in the Museum.

We approached the Carter Presidential Library and Museum on the Freedom Parkway shown on the left of this picture.

Rod and Mary by one of the displays detailing President Carter's efforts toward racial equality. A major theme of his efforts after the Presidency has been human rights around the world.

Carter's Christian faith and values were also highlighted. At this writing, Carter is 90 years old and still teaching a Sunday School class in Plains, GA.

Example of the photographs of Carter's presidential years.

Photos from time of inauguration in 1977.

A list of achievements during Carter administration. I had forgotten that he actually extablished the Department of Energy. At that time I was team teaching an energy management course. Carter pushed measures for increasing the efficiency of automobiles and heating and air conditioning. Those are exactly the right things to target for good physical reasons - they take a lot of energy. So I often said during that time that Carter was the only President we had ever had who knew enough physics to correctly choose the targets for energy conservation.

The Nobel Peace Prize 2002 was awarded to Jimmy Carter "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development".

I was amazed to find this fantastic eagle, carved from a single black walnut tree! But I had more surprises coming. Reading the description, I was surprised to find that it was carved in Arkansas, and in Mountain View which I have visited many times. Then I was really surprised that it had been commissioned by Kaneaster Hodges, Jr from my home town of Newport, Arkansas! I went to high school with Kaneaster Hodges, Jr. and his father was one of my Scoutmasters! Kaneaster went on to become prosecuting attorney for Newport from 1967 to 1974 and served a term as U.S. Senator from Arkansas.

We enjoyed the visit to the Carter Museum and could have spent a lot more time there. But Mary had a plane to catch, so we took her out to Hartsfield Airport to catch her flight back to Sacramento. We really enjoyed the brief time with had to visit with her.