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Jan. 2, 2025
Print | PDFWilfrid Laurier University is saddened by the death of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who passed away on Dec. 29, 2024 at the age of 100.
Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, who predeceased her husband in November 2023, visited Laurier’s Waterloo campus in July 1993, when they were in the region as part of Habitat for Humanity’s Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. During their visit, the Carters helped construct 11 homes on Daniel Avenue in Kitchener and stayed in Laurier’s Bricker Residence.
Lorna Marsden, university president and vice-chancellor at the time, remembers the visit well, noting that the down-to-earth Carters ate in the Laurier dining hall alongside students. Marsden left Laurier-themed gifts and a hand-written note for the Carters upon their arrival – and Carter later left a note of thanks in return.
“President Marsden, it was a wonderful stay at Laurier. The hospitality, quietness and mementos made it a fine respite from our work. Thanks, Jimmy Carter.”
Carter served as president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”
After leaving the White House in 1981, the Carters became well-known advocates for affordable housing, donating their time to build homes through Habitat for Humanity’s Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. Over the years, the Carters worked alongside 103,000 volunteers in 14 countries to build, renovate or repair more than 4,330 homes.