Jimmy Carter liked to eat at the Pit Stop in Thomaston, Ga. That was where the future president met a boy who would grow up to be a state trooper.

Jimmy Carter ‘s long public goodbye began Saturday in south Georgia where the 39th U.S. president’s life began more than 100 years ago.

Six days of funeral observances for former President Jimmy Carter have begun Saturday in Georgia, the state where he died on 29 December at the age of 100. The first events reflected Carter’s climb up the political ladder, from the tiny town of Plains to a lifetime on the global stage as a humanitarian and advocate for democracy.