Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb and his wife, former state Rep. Wilma Webb, were among the presidents, congressional lawmakers and cabinet officials bidding farewell to former President Jimmy Carter in Washington, D.C., Thursday.
The couple first met Carter in 1974 and cut the first check from Colorado for Carter’s nascent presidential campaign.
“I was taken back by his sincerity, his humility. And he was not also afraid to say he wanted to help the least of these, he was willing to help poor people, “ Webb told CPR News.
Webb went on to become Carter’s campaign manager for the state of Colorado in 1976. He also worked in the Carter Administration as regional director of what was then known as the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and later became deputy campaign manager for Carter in Illinois.
While Webb spoke of Carter’s accomplishments in office, from the Camp David Accords to creating the Department of Education, many younger people know Carter for the work he did after elected office.
“He redefined what it means to be a former or an ex,” Webb said, “because he demonstrated just because you lose an election, you don’t lose your life, that you can still contribute in many great ways in public service.”
Webb pointed not just to Carter’s work with Habitat for Humanity, but issues related to Africa, women’s rights, voting rights and human rights around the world.
“Even though you’re not elected, you can make a difference in this world. And he demonstrated that by his life’s work, both he and his wife Rosalynn,” Webb said.
Webb appreciated being among the Carter alumni invited to the state funeral, as well as the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, where Carter was lying in state from Tuesday evening to Thursday morning.
But what Webb said he’ll remember his former boss for was Carter’s willingness to take a chance on him when he was a tall, skinny, 31-year old sporting an afro.
“He didn't look at the hair. He looked at the intellect and looked at here’s a person that worked hard and was ambitious and… had a great reputation in the Colorado legislature,” Webb recalled. Carter “gave me an opportunity to do things I had not even thought about.”
Carter’s state funeral begins at 8 a.m. MST. President Joe Biden is among the speakers scheduled to deliver remarks in his honor. CPR News will run NPR’s stream of the service here and on radio, with special coverage beginning at 7:30 a.m. MST.
