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Jimmy Carter is deceased. 29 December, 2024. Age 100.
Snippets of a memoriam post for Pres. Carter by Caitlin Rivers, Johns Hopkins public health professor. (I subscribe to an email public health report she authors.)
President Carter dedicated decades of his post-presidency to advancing global health through The Carter Center, which works to eliminate Guinea worm, river blindness, trachoma, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, and malaria (among other priorities). ... One of my favorite anecdotes dates back to 1995, when President Carter personally negotiated a ceasefire during the Sudanese Civil War so that health workers could advance the Carter Center’s goal of eradicating Guinea worm. The six-month ceasefire that President Carter negotiated—at the time, the longest humanitarian ceasefire in history—allowed health workers to distribute hundreds of thousands of (water) filters to prevent Guinea worm transmission, as well as immunize children against other diseases. ... President Carter said that it was his sincere hope to outlive the last Guinea worm. His dedication to this cause drove astonishing progress. The number of cases has fallen 99.99%, from an estimated 3.5 million in 1986 to just 7 so far in 2024 (as of Nov 12). Although I am sorry that he did not live to see eradication, I hope his loved ones can take comfort in his extraordinary, lasting impact on public health—not least of which the millions of people who have been spared Guinea worm thanks to his tireless advocacy and resolve.
The US stock markets (NYSE, Nasdaq, CBOE) will be closed on Thursday, Jan 9th, 2025 in honor of the late Jimmy Carter. Bond markets close early that day.
@Crash: I recall that episode also. IDNK if the rebels/students/extremists thought they'd do better with Reagan as president; their delaying certainly made it impossible for Carter to overcome the hostage crisis in the campaign. This afternoon on NPR, Ted Koppel, recalled that his nightly news program bore the subtitle "America Held Hostage," for the duration of the crisis. He seemed to think no news organization could do that today and he praised Carter for his restraint in not interfering. Another commentator joked that Carter is the only president to have used the White House as a launching pad for a career that made him far more famous than he had been in DC.
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