THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL-MAY 2025 83 As someone who has spent most of my Foreign Service career working in public affairs, I often write into talking points “the U.S. needs to lead by example on [insert lofty goal].” It’s a way to acknowledge that while we aren’t perfect, we are actively trying to be better. President Carter spent a moment in time—how lucky for us it was a century—where he embodied this talking point. He lived it quietly and with humility, but he also used his platform loudly—no matter the blowback— to advocate for those who had no voice. In reflecting on Carter’s legacy, I’m reminded our diplomacy has the power to build trust, and we have the capacity to be our better selves, to lead by example. The fact that every living president showed up in the front row of the National Cathedral at his funeral felt like a possibility only President Carter could manifest. More than anything, President Carter’s consistency of character and commitment to framing human rights as not just a nice-to-have but a national security imperative will be the lessons from his legacy I’ll carry with me throughout my life and career. Maryum Saifee FSO New York, New York Honoring a Life Well Lived Illinois, 1976; Sudan, 1993 In 1976 Jimmy Carter campaigned for president at the Foellinger Auditorium on the University of Illinois campus in Champaign– Urbana. I was fortunate to witness his speech. Many students felt his words encouraging following Watergate and the Vietnam War. America, similarly responding, brought him into office soon afterward. During his presidency, human rights, environmental matters, and energy issues gained salience as not only U.S. policy priorities but also, gradually, as global concerns. No one can forget the breakthrough of the Camp David Accords in 1979. Inspired, the following year I joined the Peace Corps and went to serve as a community health development worker in the Philippines, which led to my interest in becoming a Foreign Service officer. In 1993, during my second tour as a Foreign Service officer, in Khartoum, I saw President Carter again, when he and his wife, Rosalynn, visited the embassy, where he posed for a photo with my children, Ginger and Jordan. Over the years, Jimmy Carter came to three other countries in Africa while we served there—Ethiopia, Mali, and Mozambique. In all, he had a heart for Africa and made an amazing 44 trips there. We were delighted to brief him and to gain insights regarding his work to eradicate Guinea worm, support electoral processes, and construct affordable housing. I found great encouragement through my work as a diplomat in advancing our priorities and engaging foreign audiences. The Carter Center, which was founded in 1982, collaborated with us and other like-minded partners to observe elections and promote human rights, and its work continues around the world today. Jimmy Carter, a sincere Christian who lived his enduring faith and values, stands out among heads of state as a servant leader. We, along with the world, honor his life well lived. Ambassador Eric P. Whitaker Department of State Washington, D.C. Welcome to Belgrade, President Carter! Yugoslavia, 1980 President Carter made an official visit to Belgrade from June 24 to 25, 1980, a month after the death of longtime Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito. My husband, Mark Dillen, and I had been serving at the U.S. embassy in Belgrade as press and cultural officers since summer 1977. I gave birth to our first child, daughter Vanessa, on May 1, 1980, at the U.S. military hospital in Vicenza, Italy, and was still on maternity leave when President Carter’s visit to Belgrade was announced. President Jimmy Carter greets FSO Anne Chermak and her 7-week-old daughter, Vanessa, on arrival in Belgrade, 1980. COURTESY OF ANNE CHERMAK
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