Jimmy Carter honored with Forever Stamp on 101st birthday

Jimmy Carter honored on 101st birthday

Carter now joins a select group of Americans to be featured on a USPS stamp. There is also a new Carter Center documentary highlighting the fight against Guinea worm. For the Carter family, the stamp is a symbol of legacy and love.

ATLANTA - He was a peanut farmer, a peace negotiator, and a president — but above all, Jimmy Carter was a public servant. Now, nearly a year after his passing, the United States Postal Service is honoring the 39th President with a tribute that will travel far and wide: a Forever stamp.

What we know:

Unveiled Wednesday at the Carter Center in Atlanta, the stamp was released on what would have been Carter’s 101st birthday. It features a 1982 portrait of the former president painted by Herbert Abrams.

Carter now joins a select group of Americans to be featured on a USPS stamp.

The Forever stamp is available at local post offices and online.

What they're saying:

"It is our hope that this stamp will serve as a reminder that one person, guided by principle and empowered by compassion, can indeed change the world," said Thomas Marshall, executive vice president of the U.S. Postal Service.

It is a recognition that holds deep personal meaning for his family and the Carter Center.

"The Postal Service played a central role in President Carter's life," said Beth Davis, chief operating officer of the Carter Center.

That connection dates back to Carter’s childhood — from postcards sent by his uncle that inspired him to join the Navy, to love letters exchanged with his wife while he was at the Naval Academy. Even as technology evolved, Carter remained loyal to traditional mail.

"He did embrace modern technology, but he was clearly much more comfortable with the stamp," said Jason Carter, the former president’s grandson and chair of the Carter Center board of trustees.

Davis added, "It was amazing to watch how something as simple as a stamped letter could build so much connection between so many people."

The stamp has also inspired others. At the unveiling, local resident Happy Johnson said she hopes to launch a letter-writing campaign using the new stamp.

"We want the students to go back to the basics. To send the letters out, just flood the mailboxes," Johnson said.

For the Carter family, the stamp is a symbol of legacy and love.

"I think one of the greatest things about this stamp is that if you put it on your wedding invitation, it almost guarantees a 77-year marriage," Jason Carter joked.

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