Former Leon County commissioner shares stories of the late Rosalynn Carter

"She was a real national treasure and we're going to miss her."

That's what former Leon County Commissioner Bob Rackleff shared about the late First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who died Sunday at her home in Plains, Georgia, just over 100 miles north of Tallahassee.

Rackleff worked as a speechwriter for her husband, President Jimmy Carter, in 1979-80 and spoke with the Tallahassee Democrat about how she trailblazed the national discussion on mental health to where it is today.

Mrs. Carter also visited Florida’s capital city multiple times, including in November 1978, when she was campaigning for Democratic candidate for governor Bob Graham at a hot dog and soda luncheon at Lewis Park on Park Avenue.

According to a Democrat story, about 3,500 persons clasped their free hot dogs and craned their necks to observe the wife of the president of the United States. At the start of her remarks, Mrs. Carter recalled the days when she took to the road in Florida, trying to drum up support for her little-known husband's presidential bid.

“Tallahassee was one of the first places I came." she recalled. "We came to Tallahassee and told people Jimmy was going to run for president. They said 'President of the what?' I said, president of the United States."

Rackleff started as president's speechwriter, became first lady's

Rackleff, who served on the county commission 1998-2010, explained he was one of five speechwriters for President Carter and they didn't usually write speeches for the first lady.

"When the hostages were taken by Iranians, which happened on a day that I had written several political rally speeches for the president to do the following day, Carter announced that he was not going to go on his travels, that he was going to stay in D.C. and concentrate on getting the hostages free," he said.

Sixty-six Americans were taken captive by Iranian militants who seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran 44 years ago this month. The hostages were kept captive for nearly two years, from Nov. 4, 1979 to Jan. 20, 1981.

President Carter "passed the speeches (along) to Rosalynn so she could go out and give the speeches. So she did, and when she came back she sent the word down that she wanted me to keep writing for her and I was glad to do that," Rackleff said.

He described her as warm and accommodating, saying she expected top performance from her staff – and she got it. He also said she was engaged and accessible, sharing a story from when the White House managed to get hold of him at a friend's house.

"One time, my wife and I were having dinner with some friends of ours, and in the middle of dinner they called my friend's house and asked for me," Rackleff said. "The White House operator had this uncanny ability to locate anybody, anywhere.

"On the phone was Mrs. Carter and she said, 'Well, I liked what you wrote ... and I want you to add a couple more points to the speech.' It was very refreshing to be able to get that kind of feedback," he added.

First lady was a stickler for 'plain English'

Rackleff said she liked her speeches to be in "plain English." Many of her speeches were on mental health, even testifying as late as 2007 before a U.S. House subcommittee on how mental health should be covered by insurance.

"It became a priority nationwide ... she was very vocal and very upfront and understood the need for us to improve our mental healthcare system in America," Rackleff said.

And Rackleff shared that Mrs. Carter wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty – literally – to get a job done.

"I had gotten involved with Habitat for Humanity when I was working in New York at the time," he said. "Habitat had decided to renovate an entire building in the Lower East Side. I signed up to work on it and did the demolition, took out all the plumbing.

"A few hours later, the Carters and a team of habitat workers came to New York and Jimmy and Rosalynn were swinging hammers with everybody else."

The Tallahassee connection to Plains, Georgia

The Carters also shared a connection with the residents of Tallahassee, many of whom traveled to Plains to attend their Sunday school services they would hold for the public. One of those guests was Kati Schardl, who attended services from 2011 to 2019.

The Carters' lessons could be appreciated by people of all backgrounds and faiths, she explained, saying the energy in the sanctuary was an "aura of peace and compassion."

"The first time I went I sat two rows behind Rosalynn and she was very intent on what he was saying," said Schardl, a former Tallahassee Democrat entertainment writer.

"After President Carter gave the lesson, Rosalynn would join him at the front and people could line up to shake their hands and get their picture taken with them. You could tell they were super in tune with each other."

The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library posted on social media Monday with information about tributes for the late first lady, to be held between Nov. 27 and Nov. 29.

Arianna Otero is the City Solutions Reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @ari_v_otero

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee's Bob Rackleff once was Rosalynn Carter's speechwriter