ERIC DEGGANS, HOST:
This morning begins a nearly weeklong series of funeral events to remember the late former president Jimmy Carter, who died last Sunday at the age of 100. The motorcade will start in the town of Americus, Georgia, and then head to his hometown of Plains. Here to talk with us now about today's events is Grant Blankenship of Georgia Public Broadcasting. Grant, good morning.
GRANT BLANKENSHIP, BYLINE: Yeah, good morning.
DEGGANS: So as I mentioned, the procession begins in the town of Americus at the medical center where Carter's body's been held. And then it heads to Plains?
BLANKENSHIP: Yeah, that's right. It heads to Plains. And downtown there in Plains, people are going to be lining the street to watch the procession. From there, it's going to go to the family farm where Carter grew up a few miles away and then pause. And there, the farm bell will toll 39 times.
DEGGANS: Now, of course, it's ringing 39 times because Carter was the 39th president of the United States. And there's some symbolism in the tolling of a bell.
BLANKENSHIP: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, here in the South, family farms typically had an iron bell. My grandmother had one she used to let me ring to call everybody in to eat when the whole family was together.
DEGGANS: Wow.
BLANKENSHIP: You know, on a farm, the bell was the signal that work was done, and it was time to come home.
DEGGANS: So who will be part of this procession?
BLANKENSHIP: So, you know, there'll be members of the Carter family in the motorcade. There will be people Carter brought from Plains to the White House. There'll be old friends. They're going to drive for, like, five hours before arriving later in Atlanta. And it's pretty cold this morning. People are expected to line the roads in some of the towns that they pass through.
DEGGANS: So there will be a lot of ceremony and a lot of symbolism along this route.
BLANKENSHIP: Yeah, absolutely. I spoke to Ben Gray. He's a longtime Georgia photojournalist. He's been tapped by the Carter family to document every piece of the activity here in Georgia, and he'll be in the procession the whole way.
BEN GRAY: Every step of it is important historically. It's obviously a very choreographed funeral and it has many points. And each one of them has a deep significance to the Carters and to the people of Georgia and of the United States that, you know, knew him and grew to love him, both as a president and then what he did afterwards.
BLANKENSHIP: And you know that afterwards was really his work at the Carter Center in Atlanta, where he will lie in repose until Tuesday.
DEGGANS: And what happens then?
BLANKENSHIP: Well, so then his body will be flown to Washington, D.C. for a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, where he'll lie in state until Thursday. And then there'll be an official state funeral attended by President Biden, members of Congress, as well as President-elect Donald Trump. But this will all circle back where Carter's life began, back to Plains with a family ceremony Thursday evening at Carter's home church, Maranatha Baptist. That's where photographer Ben Gray says he's going to be most attuned to capturing those important moments.
GRAY: It's the final goodbye and it's going to be a chance, I think, for the family, you know, having been almost on display for some of this, right? They're there, but it's the official choreographed funeral procession and those points. But back at the home church at Maranatha, it's smaller. You know, it's going to be just family and friends. They're going to actually get to be there and say goodbye to him.
BLANKENSHIP: And then Thursday evening, Carter will be laid to rest at his home in Plains next to his wife, Rosalynn.
DEGGANS: That's Grant Blankenship of Georgia Public Broadcasting. Grant, thank you so much for those details about the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter.
BLANKENSHIP: Yeah. Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.
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