Editor's Note: Several years ago, Michele Willens wrote a piece about Jimmy Carter, his impact on women like herself, and how his wife Rosalynn influenced him. As the 99-year-old former president approaches death, we remember him here.
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When I was a young writer for CBS News, a friend—the daughter of a Democratic fundraiser—invited me to her house because “that peanut farmer governor who might run for president” was coming to dinner. There were about 12 of us at the table, and after each course they would move the men over two seats. Jimmy Carter and I were far apart, and even by the final move, we couldn’t quite look across at each other. But he went out of his way to include me in conversation. The night ended, and when he approached me to say goodnight, he said, “I kept hoping they’d move us one more time.”
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