AUTHORS
AN INTERVIEW WITH DOROTHY PADGETT by Michael Buffalo Smith
(Michael Buffalo Smith Photo)
by Michael Buffalo Smith Mercer University Press author
Dorothy Padgett is a true delight, from her huge smile to her strong Southern
accent.It’s the same kind of accent that her friend, for- mer United States President Jimmy Carter posesses. It just makes you feel good. Dorothy’s new book is the definitive
book on Carter’s campaign for President, and we get the whole story of his being elected Governer of Georgia before that. This is the story of the “Peanut Brigade,” and how they helped elect a U.S. President. The book, Jimmy Carter: Elected President with Pocket Change and Peanuts, was reviewed in our last issue. This issue, we get the story straight from the author, Dorothy Padgett.
When and how did you first meet Jimmy Carter? My first meeting with Jimmy was a very in- teresting story and it is in the book, about our meeting. We had a mutual friend, Jolly Kir- beau that had been responsible for getting Jimmy’s case settled when he had the fraud during his senatorial race. Jolly and I were friends. So he had asked if I would do some volunteer work for the Governor, for Jimmy Carter when he was running for Governor. And one morning I was out working in my yard - I love working in my yard, and it oc- curred to me, “Dot Padgett, you like working in this yard so much, pulling weeds and planting things. Will you ever have anything interesting to tell your grandchildren some day?” And about that time, a car drove up to my curb at my yard and this nice looking man stepped out and I knew immediately that it was Jimmy Carter from the description. And he walked up and I was probably in all sorts of disarray, dirty clothes, messed up hair. But anyway, he walked up and he said, “I’m Jimmy Carter.” And I said, “Yes, we have a mutual friend, Jolly Kirbeau.” And we talked for a few minutes and he asked me if I would go to work as a volunteer in his Governor’s campaign, note the word “volunteer.” So, I told him I would and the next weekend, I was over at their campaign headquarters. And that was how I met him, in the front yard of my house. And of course, that meeting changed the direction of my life and added a dimension to it ,and I ended up having some- thing interesting to tell my grandchildren.
53
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77
