PLAINS — When Philip Kurland first moved to Plains from Maryland 30 years ago, he said he didn’t even believe former President Jimmy Carter actually lived in his hometown.
Now, Kurland is preparing to say goodbye to the man who sat with him in the apartment above the shop he owns on Main Street.
Their first meeting was shortly after Kurland and his wife opened their store that sells political memorabilia.
“I’m sitting on the floor trying to get something done and I look up and President and Mrs. Carter walk in to welcome us to the community,” he said. “We were shocked.”
Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, made a habit of greeting new residents in their small town of about 750 people. And Kurland said he often spotted the Carters walking in town, “hand in hand.”
“For years, he would come in here regularly to talk about anything that was on my mind — mostly politics,” Kurland said. “They are very caring people. When I was sick and couldn’t come downstairs (about 10 years ago), he sat with me for an hour.”
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Kurland’s store of political buttons, signs, posters, magnets and more — which he says is the largest in the nation — has drawn customers from all 50 states and more than 60 countries. When Carter is gone, he said, he’ll find joy in continuing to share stories about the former president.
“It hasn’t sunk in, but it feels like I’m losing part of me,” Kurland said. “(When Carter is gone) it’ll feel awkward and odd to me, anyway, for a while. But I think overall when that’s passed, I think there will be a feeling of joy because every time I think of him it’ll put a smile on my face.”
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