NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Americans are mourning and remembering the life of former President Jimmy Carter.
He may have been a proud native of Georgia, but President Carter had some deep connections to the Volunteer state, too.
A visit to NewsChannel 5
Of all the interviews former NewsChannel 5 anchor Harry Chapman has conducted, he said it's hard to pick a favorite. But, if he had to pick, he would give hail to the chief.
"He would have to be number one, because number one, he was the only president I ever interviewed," said Chapman.
Former President Carter appeared on Talk of the Town in the 1980s, after his presidency but during a book tour. He was promoting his new reflection on how much he loved and appreciated nature.
"If you came to Nashville, Talk of the Town was a stop you had to make," said Chapman, who hosted the show for decades.
Harry said there were lots of moments that he'll remember forever.
"He wasn't like what you would think a former president would be like, he was very comfortable, very relaxed," he said.
But Harry said the best part of the interview came when he shared a funny but surprising story about how the former Commander in Chief played a trick on the Washington press corps.
"We’d get out of the helicopter, the White House Press Corps. would go back to Maryland to motels. We would change clothes, get back on the helicopter, and secretly fly up to Pennsylvania to do some trout fishing," said President Carter on Talk of the Town.
"And they never knew that he had left Camp David for the weekend to go fishing," remembered Chapman.
The Opry Dream
Speaking of great stories, Jim Free — a Middle Tennessean who served in the Carter administration — remembered the time his boss fulfilled a lifelong dream.
"Jimmy Carter was a big country music fan, Grand Ole Opry fan," said Free. "One of his great quips was he had two dreams and that was to become president of the United States and the other one was to stand on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry."
Carter was able to achieve both, at the same time, although he joked as a kid, he didn't envision having to become president to make it to the Opry. Free said the late president befriended many of the heavy hitters in country music.
"Charlie Daniels was out on the road for him a lot, and the Allman Brothers," said Free.
Many of Nashville's finest loved him right back, for the same reason many of the American people did as well.
"They related to this peanut farmer from Georgia," said Free.
"Just a real guy, and sometimes I think, that’s what we need," said Chapman.
That's what Harry enjoyed the most — President Carter's authenticity in their interview.
"It wasn’t about Jimmy Carter the president, it was about Jimmy Carter the person and the kind of man he was and his character," said Chapman.
It's an interview he'll never forget about a former President we shouldn't either.
"He’s just a good man, I think we should all aspire to be like Jimmy Carter," said Chapman.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@newschannel5.com.
This story by Aaron Cantrell reminds me of my first school in Dyersburg, TN. I was a student at Bruce School from Kindergarten to second grade until the school system was integrated. My parents graduated from this K-12 school in 1960 in one of the city's African American communities. After sitting empty for several years, part of the school was demolished while the rest was renovated and now serves as a community center for the Bruce community in Dyersburg. A local pastor is now trying to do something similar in the Cemetery community in Rutherford Co.
-Lelan Statom
