Editor’s Note: Rosten Callarman is executive director of Habitat for Humanity Abilene. He wrote the following tribute to former President Jimmy Carter, who died Dec. 29 at age 100. Carter was noted for his lengthy and avid service to Habitat following his presidency.

By Rosten Callarman

Jimmy Carter didn’t create Habitat for Humanity, but he was easily our most famous volunteer.

President Carter made Habitat for Humanity a household name. He spent the second half of his life as the greatest spokesman in the world for affordable housing. Because of this, he holds a unique place in American history as the only president who impacted the world more after he left office than during his presidency. 

He did not merely put his name behind the cause of ending poverty housing. He put action behind his words. For the last five decades you were just as likely to find him behind a nail gun as you were to find him behind a podium. Some of the most famous images of President Carter were on a Habitat build site. These images often included some form of construction-related wound, a testament to the fact that he habitually put the needs of others above his own.  

I was deeply saddened at the news of the passing of Jimmy Carter – a leader, a statesman, a humanitarian, and, most importantly, a good man. He led in a way that demanded others follow him not by threat of force or through strength of personality, but through depth of character, honest virtue, and the will to improve the lives of those who had need. His life was a testament to the axiom that true maturity is measured by the way we treat those who are more vulnerable than we are.

Thank you for your service, sir. I am happy that you get to rejoin your wife and the love of your life, Rosalynn. 

At Habitat for Humanity Abilene, we have a particular saying that is dear to our hearts and our work. We say it at the end of all of our homeowner blessings, the first big gathering that our partner families host after they move into their new homes. In a very different way, we now get to say that same thing to President Carter as he goes to his new “forever home”:

Welcome home.

Rosten and Laura Callaman