For Jimmy Carter's 100th birthday, his special connection to San Fernando Valley schools is celebrated

St. Genevieve Parish Schools in Panorama City sent former President Jimmy Carter warm and personal wishes for his 100th birthday on Tuesday.

Daniel Horn, president and principal, organized for the celebratory video, featuring both students and staff, to be shown to the former president before he has dinner Tuesday night.

Horn told LAist that their relationship with Carter and the late Rosalynn Carter, which dates back to at least 2005, is historical and special for the schools’ more than 1,000 students.

“There's no doubt in my mind that not only is our school, our country, but our entire world is better because Jimmy Carter lived on this earth,” he said.

Some of the students wishing Jimmy Carter a happy 100th birthday.

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Courtesy of St. Genevieve Parish Schools

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About the celebration

St. Genevieve has its own version of the “happy birthday” song, which the students sang for the video.

They also recorded group and individual messages for Carter, including from Horn.

“I’m just so thrilled that we’re able to celebrate, or be part of the celebration, for your 100th birthday,” he said in the recorded message. “I love you.”

How the Carters’ became connected to the L.A. school

When Horn was in college, he wrote a letter to Rosalynn Carter to compliment her on her autobiography.

She invited him to lunch, so he drove a few hundred miles to Georgia, expecting to be one of hundreds attending a formal event. But it was just Horn, Rosalynn Carter, and another family member.

“We just forged a bond and kept in touch over the years,” he said.

Some of the students singing the schools' special birthday song for Jimmy Carter.

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Courtesy of St. Genevieve Parish Schools

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In 2005, he brought a group of four kids to Plains, Georgia, the Carter couple’s beloved hometown. That sparked a series of dozens of visits over the years with faculty, staff, and students.

The couple visited St. Genevieve several times, including for a documentary premiere and for the unveiling of the schools’ “Carter wall,” which features a signed softball, personal letters, and a shot glass from a drink of Jimmy Carter’s favorite whiskey, Old Crow Bourbon.

Continuing the legacy

St. Genevieve is building a performing arts center, which the Carters helped raise money for.

Horn said that the new courtyard outside the theater will be named after the couple.

They’re also going to include a butterfly garden, as Rosalynn Carter worked to bring awareness to the dwindling monarch butterfly population.

“The Carters are still very much a presence at our school,” Horn said. “I mean, not only is he the first president ever to reach 100, but the fact that we are able to have that kind of relationship with him — the relationship itself is historical.”

Some of the students wishing Jimmy Carter a happy 100th birthday.

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Courtesy of St. Genevieve Parish Schools

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