- Neighbors in Plains, Georgia remember their very-own President Jimmy Carter.
- Business owners say he brought them lots of success and support.
- Watch the video to hear the personal stories of one of Carter's friends:
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Celebrating the life of a man who was not only the 39th president, but a friend and neighbor to all.
Plains, Georgia is the place President Jimmy Carter was not only born and raised, but a town that neighbors tell me he put on the map.
"He's sort of like our guiding light," Philip Kurland said.
That's how Philip Kurland remembers his friend of more than 20 years, Jimmy Carter.
He first met Carter at his store Plains Trading Post, the largest retail political memorabilia shop in the US.
"I turned to my wife and I said 'I wonder if they really live here' and I looked up and there they were," Kurland said.
After falling ill with a lung abscess, Kurland said Jimmy checked in on him.
"I'm upstairs recovering, he comes to my wife and wants to make an appointment to see me. He shows up at the right time and comes upstairs. We're one on one for an hour. We prayed together and from that point, we really had a true friendship," Kurland said.
He said Carter was not only a great storyteller but a true servant to his hometown.
"I would talk politics with him, but the first thing he always wanted to know was how's business because he was also very concerned about the economic well-being of Plains," Kurland said.
Stephanie Young's great-uncle was married to Carter's sister Gloria.
She said he was always giving back to his hometown.
"They didn't have to have the elaborate mansions and stuff," Young said. "It was all about Plains and the small, tight-knit community."
She owns Southwest Trophy and Gifts and said Carter's legacy has helped her business and others grow.
"I don't know where plains would be today if it weren't for the Carters," Young said. "We said once Ms. Rosalynn passed that our plans for store owners in Plains and the friends of Jimmy Carter are to keep their legacy alive."
That's what Kurland also plans to do during this time of mourning.
"President Carter is alive and well in Plains and will be for many more decades," Kurland said.
Kurland said he anticipates many visitors will continue to come to Plains in the coming weeks, months, and years to honor and remember the former President.
