More than 100 Emory students joined a sold-out crowd at the Fox Theatre Sept. 17 to celebrate former President Jimmy Carter’s upcoming 100th birthday and his enduring love for music.
“Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song” featured a high-powered line-up of musicians, movie stars and other public figures paying tribute to Carter, who will officially reach the century mark on Oct. 1.
Short videos between music performances detailed his accomplishments as president and founder of The Carter Center — a nonprofit that works to resolve conflicts, advance democracy and prevent diseases.
Emory’s close ties with The Carter Center go back to the center’s genesis in 1982, fostering a community of scholarship and practice that has had an impact far beyond the two institutions.
And for decades, Carter was a steady presence on the Emory campus. Though largely retired from public life now, he remains a member of the faculty as a University Distinguished Professor.
His 100th birthday celebration opened with a clip from the documentary “Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President,” in which Carter explains: “One of the things that has held America together has been the music that we share and love.”
In that spirit, 100 students from Emory’s Atlanta campus and about 30 from Oxford College came together to attend the celebration.
Prominent acts included country-rock star Eric Church, gospel and R&B singer BeBe Winans and Athens-founded new-wave group The B-52s. Chuck Leavell — keyboardist for the Allman Brothers Band, which played benefit concerts for Carter’s presidential campaign in 1975 — accompanied several of the acts.
Former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama — and a long list of celebrities — shared video messages wishing Carter a happy birthday. Emory alumni Emily Sailers and Amy Ray of the folk-rock band The Indigo Girls were among those who participated in the video toasts.
Yafet Zewdie, an Emory senior studying finance and organization and management, heard about the concert at a meeting for presidents of student organizations at the university. He is president of the Ethiopian-Eritrean Student Association and the Emory chapter for Lifting Our Voices, a nonprofit that leads community service projects for those in need.
“I came because I wanted to get into Atlanta and experience more of its culture,” he says.
Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Zewdie was familiar with Carter’s legacy but says he gained new insights at the concert. “I knew he was an advocate for human rights, but coming here and [learning about] all the work he did during his presidency and after — and even before — was a great thing to see.”
One video described The Carter Center’s near total eradication of the Guinea-worm disease in Africa — a highlight for Emory senior Adrian Thierry, who is president of the Goizueta Black Student Association. Like Zewdie, he is studying finance and organization and management.
The music was also a hit — especially the acts that reminded students of their parents. That was the case for Emory senior Claire Marchand, a business major and president of the student satire magazine “Emory Spoke,” who most enjoyed The B-52s’ performance.
“My mom loves to play them,” Marchand says. “Hearing ‘Rock Lobster’ was really exciting because it’s something I always heard in the car as a kid.”
Kennedy Nieves, a sophomore at Oxford on the pre-business track, heard about the concert through the Impact Lab, a new program offered by the Center for Pathways and Purpose that focuses on career coaching with a professional-in-residence.
The Impact Lab’s professionals-in-residence this semester are Scott Garner, Oxford adjunct assistant professor of psychology and film and media, and Lea Anne Jackson, creative services director at Atlanta CW. The lab’s course is focused on film, media and business and provides professional development opportunities in those areas.
Nieves says the most recent class in the Impact Lab looked at the “visual aspect of marketing and business proposals and what grabs the audience’s eye.” She appreciated how the stage design of the concert was able to do just that — grab the eye.
“It was a very visual performance,” she says, “even if we didn’t know the lyrics.”
She felt especially inspired to learn how Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, did the difficult, hands-on labor of building affordable homes as long-time volunteers for Habitat for Humanity.
“I don’t know how many other people, let alone former presidents, are doing the [physical] work for a cause they care about,” Nieves says. “So, it’s really admirable that he went in and did it himself — and with his wife.”
Celebrate Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday
Former U.S. President and Emory University Distinguished Professor Jimmy Carter turns 100 on Tuesday, Oct 1. Celebrate with the Emory community at the Emory Student Center from 12-2 p.m. or the Oxford Student Center from 3-5 p.m. Learn about his life and legacy of leadership while enjoying food and music.
You can also contribute photos and videos to The Carter Center’s 100th birthday mosaic and take a look back at more than 40 years of collaboration between Emory and The Carter Center.
Photos by Daniel Christian/Emory Communications, Lydia Washington/Student Center, Natalie Raymond/Oxford College and courtesy of The Carter Center and Rick Diamond.