Former President Jimmy Carter celebrated his 90th birthday today. In honor of the occasion, he blew out three candles representing the past, present and future.

In the special “First Family of Plains” that aired on GPB Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m., Carter and his wife Roselynn discuss how he got his start in state politics with PBS Newshour host Judy Woodruff.

He tells her that in1962 the threat of closing the public school system if one classroom was racially integrated loomed.

“So I thought, in my idealistic way, I would go to the Senate and protect the public school system from closing down and let them be racially integrated,” Carter tells Woodruff. “And so that’s why I ran for Senate.”

After the state Senate, Carter ran for Governor.

He lost the first time, but won in 1972. He went on to win the White House in 1976.

Growing up in Plains Shaped Carter

Carter also tells Woodruff that growing up in Plains, Ga shaped his world-view. He says as a child, his friends, neighbors and mentors were African-American.

“It was just a total immersion of the two races, except when we went to school or when we went to churches,” he says. “Then we were completely segregated.”

Find out more about the special here. The full conversation aired Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m on GPB-TV. It airs again on Friday, Oct. 3 at 1:30 a.m.

Tags: first family from plains, President Jimmy Carter, Jimmy Carter, judy woodruff, roselyn carter, Plains, GA