The official state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter will be held Jan. 9 at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., the White House confirmed Monday.
The Carter Center releases a statement saying the family has accepted an invitation from Congress for Carter, who died Sunday at 100, to lie in state at the Capitol Rotunda. Details on the events in Washington and in Georgia, including burial for Carter, have not been released.
President Joe Biden declared Jan. 9 a National Day of Mourning, ordered U.S. flags to fly at half-staff for 30 days and issued an executive order closing all executive departments and agencies of the federal government that day.
In Plains on Monday, two National Park Service rangers hung wreaths marked with black ribbon on the doors of the building where Carter went to high school. The school is now the Plains High School Visitor’s Center and is dedicated to teaching people about Carter.
Inside, Sandra Hicks, who lives down the road in Americus, Georgia, was touring the school with her grandsons. She wanted to teach the boys about Carter’s legacy “so they can learn more about where he actually came from, get a firsthand experience of what it looked like.” Hicks met the Carters while she was working at the photo center in the Walmart in Americus.
“He was never a stranger, even with Secret Service and what have you,” Hicks said.
One of her grandsons, Jaxson Hughes, 11, expressed his appreciation for having a president from near where he lives. He said Carter knew the struggle of the people in the area and was able to advocate for them.
Hicks mentioned Carter’s long history on humanitarian work, particularly his time with Habitat for Humanity, when she said he did much good in Americus. On a broader scale, Hicks said Carter also helped change the culture of Americus into one that cared for all the people of the town.
Dave and Nancy Shelbourne were also visiting the school Monday. The couple, from Indianapolis, was driving to Naples, Florida, for the winter. After Carter died, they stopped in Plains to learn about the president in honor of their grandson also named Carter.
“It’s just nice to know there are still good people in the world still trying to do things for humanity,” Dave Shelbourne said about the president.