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September 16, 2015 Palisades News Page 15
Hosting Jimmy Carter’s Book Tour
By BOB VICKREY
Palisades News Contributor
While watching former President
Jimmy Carter describe the details
of his recent cancer diagnosis
during a televised news conference, it
occurred to me that anyone who had ever
met him in person was not surprised by the
gracious manner in which he was now confronting
his own mortality. That congenial
style has long been his trademark.
His tireless energy has been on display
since he left the White House 35 years ago—
even now at the age of 90. His commitment
to international humanitarian work has
been well documented, particularly for his
beloved project, Habitat for Humanity.
The familiar smile he flashed often during
the press conference took me back to March
1985, when I stood on the steps of the Beverly
Wilshire Hotel anxiously awaiting his arrival.
I was to escort him during his Southern
California stop on his national book tour.
The publishing house for which I worked
had just released his most recent book, The
Blood of Abraham, a history of the ongoing
Middle East conflict in which he had become
deeply involved during his presidency.
Our company’s publicity depart ment
had planned a national tour for the book,
including major media appearances, as well
as bookstore events, which is where I came
into the picture.
As the local company rep, my job was to
select bookstores which would host events
and to accompany authors while they were
in town on their promotional tours. This
particular occasion seemed to have taken
on an even greater significance and created
quite a buzz for those in the bookselling
community. Hosting a former President
was considered quite an honor for most
Palisades resident Bob Vickrey and President Jimmy Carter during a 1985 book tour.
booksellers, no matter what their political
persuasion happened to be.
When Jimmy Carter’s limo arrived in the
Beverly Wilshire driveway under the breezeway
awning, I was almost certain that I
heard the faint sound of my knees knocking,
but remained adamant that I could
conceal my imploding anxiety.
Sure enough, when he stepped out of the
car flashing that famous grin, he said, “You
must be Bob. Are you ready to have a little
fun tomorrow?” I quickly relaxed and regained
steady footing as we retreated to
make our plans for the following day.
What I immediately observed about the
man with the well-known laid-back image,
was the noticeable urgency in his walk, as
well as his spirited manner—not exactly the
passive, sweater-wearing figure we’d seen
portrayed in his fireside chats during the
energy crisis in the late 1970s. I tried to keep
up with his pace as we approached his room
in the Presidential Suite, but I couldn’t help
but wonder why he had been unsuccessful
in conveying this contagious energy to the
nation while he was in office.
Despite the criticism he has received regarding
his perceived shortcomings during
his one-term administration, I’ve noticed
that even his harshest critics are usually
quick to acknowledge his charitable work
at home and abroad after he left office, a
concession ex-presidents rarely receive
from their adversaries.
I sat across from him in the luxurious
living room of the hotel suite and he asked,
“So, what’s on the docket for tomorrow,
and what do you need me to do?” I explained
the morning format I’d planned
with an informal breakfast for various local
booksellers that I’d invited to the downstairs
drawing room.
Carter revealed his admiration for those
who work in bookstores. He got quite a
chuckle when I told him of author Pat Conroy’s
opening line when once addressing a
breakfast gathering of booksellers, “Good
morning to all of you in the book business
who have taken the sacred vow of poverty.”
As we convened for our breakfast meeting
the following morning, he leaned toward
me and asked if I had brought my camera
along. He whispered, “People love to have
their picture taken with the President.”
By the time I returned with the camera,
he had already met every bookseller in the
room and was busily engaging each with
stories that would likely last a lifetime for
most of them. After breakfast, I took a snapshot
of each bookseller—every one of them
in virtually the same pose—with the President’s
arm draped around their shoulder.
When I took the last picture, he winked and
said, “I told you so.”
Before we adjourned, the President said,
“I think we need one more. I’d like one
taken of me with our host.”
Not surprisingly, that particular picture
still prominently resides on my bookshelf
to this very day. And I can almost hear him
say, “I told you so.”
Bob Vickrey is longtime Palisadian. His
columns appear in several Southwestern
newspapers including the Houston Chronicle.
This article was reprinted by permission
of the Waco Tribune-Herald.
Jong at Diesel
Erica Jong, who revolutionized the way
we look at love, marriage and sex in her
1973 bestseller Fear of Flying, will appear at
6:30 p.m. on Friday, September 25 at Diesel
Bookstore in the Brentwood Country Mart
to discuss her latest novel, Fear of Dying.
In the book, main character Vanessa
Wonderman watches her parents age, attends
doctor appointments with her pregnant
daughter, and sits by the hospital bed
of her husband, Asher, 15 years her senior.
With her best years as an actress behind
her, she’s discovering that beginnings are
easy, but endings can be hard.
Jong is also the author of seven awardwinning
collections of poetry and has written
several nonfiction books. She lives in
New York City and Connecticut.
BRETT DUFFY
REAL ESTATE
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