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Morning, all!! Morning, Dr. R! Today (which happens to be July 7) I wish to celebrate a couple who are celebrating their 75th anniversary. In November of 1976, America turned its back on the "horrors" of Watergate and elected a peanut farmer from the State of Georgia. Many had written at the time that he was ineffectual, a weak president who did not accomplish much.

I recall a time at a gala held in Los Angeles. Many celebrities were in attendance, Hollywood types as well as the well-connected. There was the standard hum in the room that goes with every large gathering of people. But the room electrified the moment Jimmy Carter, the President of the United States, the leader of the free world, entered. You could not help but notice it, it was that vivid. I can still feel it to this day.

So, too, aboard Air Force One on January 6,1978, after a tour of seven countries, a tired First Lady, Rosalyn Carter, gave up her chair and sat at her husband's feet so that this stenographer could do her job of reporting the President's remarks at a press briefing.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/07/03/inseparable/

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What a singular and poignant memory to have, Lynell. Thank you and very good morning to you!

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Morning, Daria!! I hesitated to share this bit of my personal history. I hope it is received in the spirit it was given. Our team was not a political appointment but won the contract to be the WH official stenographers. I served for two years.

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Lynell, It must have been quite an experience. I'm glad you shared with us. You have a perspective most of us cannot ever have.

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It was quite the experience. I wish I had today a sharper memory of it!

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Thank you Lynell, I'm glad you shared that with us. What a memory, sharp or not!

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Thanks, Sally; and Morning!!

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What’s sharper than a tack, pray tell? Love it Lynell!

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Lynell, it is most certainly received in the spirit it was given. Thank you so much for sharing these priceless firsthand memories. I was born in '67, so I certainly remember the Carter years. But as I child I had no real context in which to place them and really never learned more than the most well known basics about them personally. There are many details in the moving article you linked that I did not know. Thank you for that.

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Thanks so much, Nomi. To be honest, I was a young adult with no "real context" either! But I recognized integrity right away while I was there.

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Lynell, I join in thanking you for sharing these picturesque, chill-inducing details!

I could see the gala room and swank attendees, feel Carter’s arrival send a charge through the room, and picture Rosalyn insisting you have her seat for the important words you needed to capture!

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Yes, Ashley, you picture the scene I was trying to portray. A room full of actors, as it were, meeting up with the real thing!

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Wonderful!! And Thank You for these precious insights, Lynell!

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I lived in GA when Jimmy Carter ran for and won the 1976 election. I remember his son, Jack, stopping by my boss’s law practice. I would love to hear more about your work for him! Having once a long time ago learned shorthand myself, I can’t imagine the responsibility of recording the words of a president.

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We used a stenotype machine, different from pen shorthand and has its own code of letters. Your name, Marcy, would look like this on steno paper once you struck the correct keys: PH A R/SEU. With machine shorthand you can write at speeds of up to 225 words per minute, with some having been clocked at 300 wpm!

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That is totally cool!

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Fascinating story! Sounds like you had to learn a new language.

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Yes, HREUZ!! A new language in written form.

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Congratulations to the Carters on lives well-lived and their continued devotion to each other.

Jimmy Carter is one of two presidents I saw in person while they were campaigning. He gave a speech on the Plaza in downtown Albuquerque and I climbed up to stand on the base of a lamppost so I could see him. I have vivid memories of one Secret Service agent who devoted his time to staring watchfully at me. It was a good speech and he got my vote.

The other candidate was Ronald Reagan. I did not like his speech which was perhaps more subtle than Trump’s rallies, but also designed to foment anger in the crowd.

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Thank you Lynell!

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Wow. I love this love. Thank you Lynell! Salud to the Carters!

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Morning, Lynell! I read the story; to have known each other for nearly 100 years is astounding.

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Morning, Ally!!

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Thank you for sharing this. It's lovely.

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That’s a singularly lovely memory, Lynell — thank you so much for sharing it here. I have to say, it is the small, intimate moments that bring such reinforcing clarity to history sometimes. I just finished my first 3.5 hour tour through the newly reopened/re-made Truman Library and the intimacies recorded in the letters between Harry and Bess through the years are just a fabulous insight. Right person at the right time with the right admin of folks (of all persuasions) around him. The Carters’ interviews this past week have been great, too! https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi82Pbvq9HxAhXRWc0KHcHwBWAQwqsBMAB6BAgHEAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DCF0QiQOQHyE&usg=AOvVaw10aPmfboXdrElWOznPyLKZ

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Leslie, while I try even at this late date to keep up with what's what, I have to admit that these articles/letters/stories are my preferred news! Thanks for this PBS link. Is this 3.5 hour tour virtual or in-person?

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In person — opened Friday last week after a 2+ year renovation.

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Thank you, such a fun memory.

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