Plains community, visitors react to President Jimmy Carter's death

PLAINS, Ga. ? From Dollar General to the local high school, Americans had words of admiration in Jimmy Carter's hometown for a local hero who became president and leader of the free world and died Sunday at age 100.

Two National Park Service rangers hung wreaths marked with black ribbon on the doors Monday morning outside Carter's high school. The school is now the Plains High School Visitor's Center and is dedicated to teaching people about Carter.

Inside, Sandra Hicks ? who lives down the road in Americus, Georgia ? was touring the school with her grandsons. She wanted to teach the boys about Carter's legacy, “so they can learn more about where he actually came from ? get a firsthand experience of what it looked like."

Hicks met the Carters while she was working at the photo center in the Walmart in Americus.

“He was never a stranger, even with Secret Service and what have you,” Hicks said.

One of her grandsons, Jaxson Hughes, 11, expressed his appreciation for having a president from around where he lives. He said Carter knew the struggle of the people in the area and was able to advocate for them.

Hicks mentioned Carter's long history of humanitarian work, particularly his time with Habitat for Humanity, which she said he did much good in Americus.

On a broader scale, Hicks said, Carter also helped change the culture of Americus into one that cared for all the people of the town.

Learning about the president “has been definitely insightful," Hughes said.

Dave and Nancy Shelbourne also visited the school Monday. They are from Indianapolis and were driving to Naples, Florida, for the winter.

After Carter died, they stopped in Plains to learn about the president who shares a name with their grandson, also named Carter. Although their grandson is not named after the president, Carter is his favorite president.

They also said they wanted to pay their respects to the former president.

“It’s just nice to know there are still good people in the world still trying to do things for humanity," Dave Shelbourne said.

In the hours after Carter's death, the only business open at 8:30 p.m. Sunday in Plains was Dollar General.

People bustled through the store, including Penny Smith, who has lived in Plains for 48 years. She married into the town, she said with a smile, adding later that she knew Carter.

“It’s been an experience. I actually worked for the city for many years and was very involved in President Carter’s dealings," Smith said.

She said she served on the Better Hometown Program with Carter and helped form the Friends of Jimmy Carter National Historic Site.

“He loved his community, and he did a lot for his community," Smith said. "We’ll miss him dearly."

She described a time Carter came to her for advice after he was having difficulties with zoning for a house he was building in Plains. She was aghast that a president of the United States was coming to her for advice.

But that's just the way Carter was, Smith said.

"He loved everybody," Penny Smith said. "He is a natural. He, I think, has a God-given talent, I think, at making peace. I’ve experienced him through the years, how he would negotiate and talk to people."

Brad Bagwell, who drove up to the store a few minutes after Smith, described Carter as inspiring. Bagwell lived in Plains as a child and was back to visit family.

“I’d say he’s kind of the fabric of the community and something that everybody rallies around," Bagwell said. "He’s always been around to care about, not just the town but the people."

At Jimmy Carter's Boyhood Farm on Monday, sisters Dawn Tarpley and Holly Cooper were walking Mishka, a pomeranian-Husky mix who is Cooper’s service dog.

The pair were in from Texas. They had planned the trip before the president’s death.

“Carter was an exceptional person and exceptional man,” Cooper said

The women were teenagers in the 1970s and remember Carter’s presidency firsthand.

“We’ve admired him for years,” Cooper said. “He was a man who stood up for his beliefs.”

Tarpley echoed her sister’s sentiments.

“He just lived his life in an honorable way,” Tarpley said.

Throughout the early afternoon, families streamed more steadily onto the farm. Robin Melton and her family arrived from Columbus, Georgia. She said Carter makes her think of her own father.

“Well it’s hard when I think about Carter. I think about my dad," she said, noting they lived in the same era. "They believe definitely in prayer."

She said she visited Plains the day after his death "to visit the places he lived and just to be a part of this."

Her son Kylan Dawson said he remembers coming to the farm on holidays. The family used to bring Melton's father.

Robin Collins traveled from Lumpkin, about 25 miles from Plains, to visit the site with her three grandsons.

Collins noticed when she moved to the area about three years ago that Carter had been a boost to the community, bringing business to the small town.

More: Live Blog 'An exceptional man': Jimmy Carter state funeral set for Jan. 9. Live updates

Alex Gladden is the Montgomery Advertiser's education reporter. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @gladlyalex.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: President Jimmy Carter's hometown in Georgia reacts to his death