One of Jimmy Carter’s first outings after brain surgery was near Columbus. Here’s more.
Former President Jimmy Carter returned to his hometown church and visited a Columbus-area art site Sunday in one of his first documented public appearances since undergoing brain surgery in November.
Carter and about 40 members of his family toured Pasaquan, a 7-acre art site in Buena Vista, Georgia, Sunday afternoon. The compound is about 45 minutes from downtown Columbus and is maintained by Columbus State University. It honors the work of artist Eddie Owens Martin, known as St. EOM.
Pasaquan is typically closed during the month of December, but the Carter Center contacted Pasaquan staff in late October or early November to set up the tour, said Michael McFalls, a Columbus State professor of art and director of Pasaquan.
“He seemed in good spirits. He was generous. He was kind. He made a few jokes,” McFalls said of Carter. “He had memories of the time he was out there before … about 50 years ago when (St. EOM) was alive.”
Carter also returned to Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains on Sunday morning. He was seated in his usual front-row spot alongside wife Rosalynn, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
He did not teach Sunday school, but Carter did pose for pictures with parishioners after the service was over.
The outings come after a series of hospitalizations for various ailments. On Nov. 12, Carter had surgery to relieve pressure on his brain at Emory University Hospital after it was discovered that he had a subdural hematoma — brain bleeding that might occur after a fall. He was released from the hospital later that month.
Carter has fallen several times in 2019. In May, he broke his hip just before leaving his home to hunt turkeys at Realtree Farms in Harris County, north of Columbus. In late October, he fractured his pelvis. An early October fall left him with a black eye and 14 stitches.
Days after being released from the hospital following brain surgery, Carter was admitted to Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus to treat a urinary tract infection. He was released Dec. 4.
Carter, 95, became the longest-living former U.S. president earlier this year, surpassing George H.W. Bush.
This story was originally published December 30, 2019 at 11:35 AM.