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Is there room for still one more tribute to Jimmy Carter, the greatest past president in our history?
I think so, because I was witness to a facet of his personality that I don’t think has been mentioned.
Carter came to Minneapolis in 1988 as part of a tour to publicize a book he’d written (one of many in his post-presidency), “An Outdoor Journal,” a memoir of hunting, fishing and the meaning of nature.
I was the Star Tribune’s designated reporter/interviewer for book-writing celebrities, although on this occasion I thought our outdoors columnist might want to do the interview. He declined, so the opportunity fell to me. I was not necessarily a nature aficionado, so I discussed interview possibilities with the editors. One noted that Carter was interested in poetry.
We met at Minneapolis’ beautiful Theodore Wirth Park, so I suppose the president expected some nature questions. Instead I asked him, “Who is your favorite poet?” I don’t think he’d ever been asked that by a journalist, but he instantly replied “Dylan Thomas.”
Wow — a lyrical but notoriously difficult Welshman.