Jimmy Carter's National Day Of Mourning: 'A Man Of Faith In Action'

NEW YORK — On a day declared a national day of mourning for President Jimmy Carter, the same day his state funeral was held in Washington, thousands were grieving the collective loss of their homes as wildfires ravaged the Los Angeles area.

The ache of mourning for their homes — the places where so many families were raised and memories were made —was a plaintive cry of anguish heard across the nation and the world. And it was a cry Carter knew all too well — a rallying cry for a former peanut farmer who spent the life after his presidency building homes for those who'd never before had a place to call their own.

Carter, who died on December 29 at 100 years old, touched countless lives, but perhaps none more deeply than those for whom he'd rolled up his sleeves, picked up a hammer, and worked to build the brick-and-mortar structures that symbolized so much more.

On Thursday, Jim Killoran, CEO and executive director of the Fuller Center For Housing of Greater New York City, spoke with Patch about Carter's steadfast vision.

The Fuller Center, created by Millard and Linda Fuller — the original founders of Habitat for Humanity — is rooted in faith-based ministry. Even after Habitat for Humanity parted ways with the Fullers in 2005, according to their website, the couple created the Fuller Center so that Millard could keep doing what he felt was his life's mission — building safe, affordable homes.

Millard, who died in 2009, was believed to be the person who inspired Carter and his wife Rosalynn to become involved with Habitat for Humanity, Killoran said; Millard wrote a letter to the editor urging the now-retired President to join the mission.

From there, a new life unfolded for Carter that many believe was his greatest legacy — giving back and imbuing hope.

Killoran said he'd met Carter a number of times, most notably in South Central Los Angeles, "where we built 21 homes in a week," he said. "President Carter would go for a week every year and do a Jimmy Carter Work Camp."

The first time he met Carter was in 1984, at a project in New York City on E. 6th Street, Killoran said.

"He represented the new South and he was really an advocate — his mother Lillian was amazing," Killoran said. "When we met in South Central LA, we changed a whole neighborhood. There were about 1,800 volunteers. They called it a 'blitz build.'"

When asked how it felt, to work alongside Carter, Killoran reflected: "It's funny. You're just so glad to meet everyone at the builds. I was fortunate enough to meet five presidents."

But for Carter, the dedication and commitment to creating real, tangible housing and a lifetime path to home ownership wasn't just campaign propaganda, Killoran said. "When he was on a build site, there was no messing around. He was serious, serious, serious. Because he wanted to get the houses done. He didn't do it for a photo opp. That was one of his real strengths."

Killoran, who also met Carter a number of other times, including at Millard's funeral and at a ceremony marking the anniversary of his passing, said at both those events, the former president spoke of how his path had become focused upon building homes.

Carter, Killoran said, didn't show up in a fancy three-piece suit. A veritable everyman, he donned jeans, just as Killoran always shows up for a build in shorts.

Killoran said he once met former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who told him that what most impressed him about Carter was: "He'd go around to every person in every room and shake their hands. That was who he was. I admired that he was a person of faith, a man of faith in action."

The Fuller Center, Killoran said, is a ministry. "We call it the theology of a hammer. If everyone who celebrated Christmas, Hannukah, Ramadan — if everyone who went to a beautiful service went out one a month to help a neighbor build a home, we'd end poverty."

Carter and Killoran shared a meaningful conversation once at a Bible study at the Fuller Center. "He was leaving that Bible study to go up to Atlanta to meet with two Baptist conventions, to try to merge them as one. That was who he was — a conciliatory person. I had a conversation with him over the importance of faith communities working together, not fighting. If everyone who said they believed in God worked together, what would the world be like? That was very inspiring to me."

He and Carter agreed on a simple but powerful tenet: "No one should be homeless," Killoran said. "I'm blessed that a guy who just wants to build homes got to meet a president who wanted to build homes."

Building a home, Killoran said, is the "essence" of every community.

And so on Thursday, he added: "This day should not be a national day of mourning but of celebration of Jimmy Carter. Let's all pick up a hammer. Let this be a clarion call — that we should build homes — homes, not rentals — in every town and city in New York. Simple, decent. That's the American dream."

Describing Carter, Killoran voice emanated warmth. "He was kind, gentle. Serious, faithful. He had a big smile. He was a friend. And he was certainly brilliant.

Killoran has been to Plains, Georgia, where Carter lived in a white house, a rocking chair in one room, small bedrooms. Simple, perhaps, but home, nonetheless.

It was in Georgia that Killoran saw Koinonia Farm, founded in the hope that Black and white could work alongside one another, a place "where people fought for civil rights by creating a pecan mail order business," Killoran said.

Fuller later created Koinonia Partners and began realizing his dream of creating affordable housing, according to the New Georgia Encyclopeida.

Carter, Killoran said, believed, as he does, that housing is a basic, fundamental right and the creation of homes helps the community to flourish.

And so, on the day that President Carter was laid to rest in Washington before being laid to rest in Georgia, Killoran said he knew exactly where he wanted to be.

"Today, we built houses in his honor," he said.

He and others worked on homes in northern Westchester and in White Plains. "The funeral, it was all this pomp," he said. "He lived simply."

And, while the ceremony was beautiful and dignified, Killoran said the formality, he believed, was "antithetical to who he was. I wanted everyone who delivered a eulogy or sat in those pews to go out and build a home. That should be the legacy of anyone who met him."

Homes are needed for seniors, for young people, for veterans, he said.

Many, he added, can learn from Carter's own journey, creating a life after retirement that was rich and full of meaning.

When you retire, "you just don't turn over and die," he said. "He was an example of what you do, after your career. His mission was to improve whatever he took on, one day at a time."

If he could speak to Carter just one more time, Killoran knows exactly what he'd say: "Jimmy, come on and build one more day with us."