Mourners of former President Carter gather at Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston to watch livestream of his funeral service in Washington D.C. Thursday morning. Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Admirers of former President Jimmy Carter gathered at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston to watch a livestream of his funeral service in Washington D.C. on Thursday.
The Institute projected images of Jimmy Carter on its walls along with a list of his accomplishments, including those on foreign policy and human rights.
Kennedy Institute CEO Adam Hinds wanted to ensure that people had a space to come together and mourn the nation's 39th president.
Hinds added that the Institute has been reflecting on the impact of both Sen. Ted Kennedy and President Carter in American politics.
“[Whether] it’s foreign policy, the Panama Canal treaties, human rights in Latin America, or normalization of relations with China and Northern Ireland, it’s just a long record of the two of them despite fighting it out in some areas, they worked together for the common good of America.”
Sen. Ted Kennedy challenged Carter in the 1980 Democratic primaries, which Carter won. But he lost the presidency in the general election to Ronald Reagan in November of that year.
Visitors in attendance remarked that Carter was a unique individual.
“[He was] a soldier, a decent human being, extraordinary, and one of a kind,” said Shay, a visitor.
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David from Hyde Park was determined to pay his respects and braved the wind and cold to get to the Institute to watch the service.
“Remarkable moral example I think, unusual, so I’d like to say goodbye in my own way,” David said. “I was a young guy in those days [of Carter’s administration] and grew to respect him in those years more as a post-president than as a president. “
Visitors also had the opportunity to sign a book of condolence which will eventually be sent to the Carter family.
“I was thinking about what he meant to so many countries, especially those who didn’t have any human or civil rights,” Shay added.
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports.