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Plains Speak: A Job Well Done
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“I am so fortunate. I was with them 30 years, and loved them more when they passed; to their character, the Carters were exactly as they seemed.”
Oct. 1 marked the 101st birth anniversary of President Carter, and appropriately the federal government retirement of Jill Stuckey, the former Superintendent of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in Plains.
“There is not a day that goes by where I don’t think of them," she said. "To answer your question about death, it is a wistful feeling.”
Jill Stuckey’s unique relationship with the 39th president of the United States began with an introduction at Macon’s beloved Cherry Blossom Festival with her late husband, a politico in Georgia with Governor Miller and President Carter.
“We continued to keep in touch and the relationship grew in the 1990s.”
It is impossible to undersell the role Jill played in Plains. She was a mixture of chief of staff, shepherd, and loving friend. A critical and benevolent player in the final chapter of the Carters' lives in Southwest Georgia.
It is easy to understand the connection between the former president and Jill. Like Mr. Carter, the Ohio University alum is a renaissance figure of intellectual curiosity and accomplishment.
Ms. Stuckey’s background includes extensive work in rural development, natural and renewable resources, heritage tourism, public-private sector collaboration, an author of environmental books, extraordinary photography and entrepreneurship including ownership of the Plains Bed & Breakfast.
I spoke to her this week from Wrangle, Alaska, where she is traveling with friends and asked about her perspective on the Carters and the former president 10 months after his death.
Hullinger: There must a strange silence. Both so incredibly active and structured. Now silenced.
Stuckey: As active as they were, as their health began to decline so did their presence so it gave me the chance to start mentally preparing for life without my friends. After their passing, I am able to put the anxiety of missing their phone call down; I can travel and not feel guilty that I might miss an engagement that I needed to attend. All this to say that life without them is truly different but I am doing what they asked — living life to the fullest.
Hullinger: Has anything surprised you about “Post Carter Plains?”
Stuckey: I am surprised by the lack of promotion of the Carter’s legacy. The length of time it took for the gravesites to be opened to the public was no fault of the town or the park, but I am surprised that when the federal government finally allowed it to be opened that there wasn’t more celebration to bring attention to their legacy.
Hullinger: How was organizing the Carters' possessions decided? Is everything catalogued and saved? Is that process finished or ongoing? And what of the house?
Stuckey: The Carters left the contents of the house to their children. They had donated the house, surrounding property years ago to the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park and is where they are buried. The four Carter children worked closely with the park service to document the contents. The plan has been to eventually open the home to public viewing.
Hullinger: Rural Georgia is struggling; travel the state and it’s easy to see: health care, education, public safety, issues all. What of the future of Plains?
Stuckey: For 100 years the Carters have played a pivotal role in Plains. Today the storefronts remain open and the National Park Service is looking at rural connections to presidents. There is a correlation to the way LBJ is buried on his ranch away from Austin.
Hullinger: Now with most everything done, including your work in Plains, does melancholy rule?
Stuckey: I have mixed emotions. I am happy that they are no longer suffering, but I am also sad that two of my best friends are no longer with us. There is not a day that goes by without thinking of them. The conflict in Gaza would make them so sad. But the work of the Carter Center goes on.
Hullinger: The Carters were adamant about you traveling when your work in Plains ended?
Stuckey: Taking the Carters' directive and living life to the fullest, I have started traveling the world with my best friend — Andi, who just happens to be a travel agent. We are traveling the world and blogging our way through visiting many of the bucket list locations: Galapagos, Iceland, Machu Picchu, Alaska, and Italy, with plans to visit in the first quarter of 2026 — Hawaii, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Japan. We can be found at candyasstravelers.com, or you can reach out via the business website if you need help in planning your trip or wanting to learn how we can do this lifestyle at andilandadventures.com.
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