Dan Horn, principal of St. Genevieve Parish Schools in the San Fernando Valley who became a friend of the late President Jimmy Carter, likes to talk about Carter as a humble, peace-loving Christian who lived a simple life in a small town in Georgia before and after serving as the 39th president.
Horn, 64, was among about 3,000 who attended the official state funeral for Carter who died at age 100 on Dec. 29, 2024.
On Thursday, Jan. 9 at the National Cathedral, the poignant ceremony was attended by five living presidents, friends, family and President-elect Donald Trump. But it was Jason Carter’s personal remarks about his grandfather that stood out to the Catholic schools’ principal.
He spoke about his grandfather years ago calling him on his new cell phone by accident. After saying ‘How are ya doing PawPaw’ — the nickname given to their grandfather — the president asked, “Who is this?”
When Jason answered, “You called me!” his grandfather said he thought he was taking a photo.
“He couldn’t figure out why there was someone on the phone,” Horn said, recalling Jason’s words. Jason ribbed his PawPaw with the line: “Nuclear engineer, huh?”
Horn said that his down-home “spirit of the people” quality, as reflected in Jason Carter’s remarks, were also embraced by the president’s late wife Rosalynn Carter and inscribed in her book, “First Lady from Plains.”
Horn read the book and it prompted him to write to her. After Rosalynn Carter answered and then invited him to Plains for a visit in 1985, the rest as they say is history.
What followed was 40 years of back-and-forth visits between Georgia and the San Fernando Valley, often with as many as 80 Valley students staying with family and neighbors in the president’s hometown.
The president also visited the school, which is located in Panorama City, on several occasions, once to see the “Carter Wall” at the school that students had created as a living bulletin board in honor of the Carters.
For his 99th and 100th birthday, they connected virtually, with the students singing him Happy Birthday.
Jimmy Carter planned his own funeral. He picked the speakers, singers and his favorite songs which included a rendition of “Amazing Grace” by opera star Phyllis Adams, and Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks performing his favorite song, John Lennon’s “Imagine,” that reflected his hope for world peace.
David Osborne, Carter’s favorite piano player, performed several numbers before the service began. This brought back memories for Horn.
The students from St. Genevieve “have sung with David as well,” he remembered. “On Jimmy Carter’s 85th birthday, our kids were the opening act for David Osborn back in Georgia.”
Horn also reflected on President Carter’s policies on environmental justice, creating the Department of Energy, and urging cutting back on fossil fuels that cause global climate change. He made the connections to climate change adding intensity to hurricanes and wind events, including the unusually fierce winds that fanned destructive fires in San Gabriel Valley, Pacific Palisades and the hills near the San Fernando Valley.
“It’s an extremely emotional and darkly ironic day for me,” Horn said. “As the city I love experiences catastrophic fires, we honor a president who cherished the environment and had a love and desire to protect the environment.” He said, “Jimmy Carter was our first president to warn us about climate change before the term existed. He asked us to conserve, to protect our natural resources. If only we had heeded his wisdom.”
Finally, it was the eulogy delivered by President Joe Biden that reminded him of the students back at St. Genevieve schools he was missing while paying respects to his friend in Atlanta, Plains, Ga. and Washington, DC.
“He used the word ‘character’ at least five times to describe President Carter,” Horn said.
“People ask: What was it about our schools that made the Carters interested? We were one of the few National Schools of Character in the country. That is our foundation, faith and character,” Horn said.