Portland couple remembers hosting President Jimmy Carter during 1978 sleepover

Janet and Paul Olson of Portland are remembering President Jimmy Carter in the wake of his passing – and how they hosted him in their own Portland home on May 4, 1978.

“I really thought, ‘Wow, the President of the United States is in our bedroom next door,” Janet Olson told KATU’s Victor Park.

During his West Coast tour, Carter stopped in Portland and slept over the Olson’s home in the Irvington neighborhood.

"Just the whole two or three days before President Carter came, everyone was so gracious and so happy that we were having this experience, and that Portland was having this experience. I don’t think we ever really felt intimidated," Janet added. "He came into our home and after the photographers and the journalists left, he took off his shoes, took off his tie, and sat down and visited with our two children. He seemed very much at home with us."

The couple remembered when the 39th president read books to their daughter and son.

"While he was in our house, he went upstairs and laid down on our bed and read a bedtime story to our two children. All they were jumping around on the bed and he was just very comfortable doing that," Janet said. "Each of them has pictures from the White House and some stories that are framed hanging in their homes, so people come in and so they always enjoy sharing that experience."

"We are extremely sad losing a man who, I think, was so important. But I guess what we’re hoping is this seems like a really good time to remember a man who worked so hard for peace and who was such a human being,” Janet told KATU just hours after news of Carter’s death broke.

It wasn’t unusual for the president to sleep over at civilian homes during his campaign.

In fact, the arrangement was a cost-saving effort for his campaign – but Jimmy Carter continued that practice even after he moved into the White House in 1977.

46 years later, items from those moments are still there as if parts of the home remain frozen in time , like a telephone the Olsons said was left behind by Carter’s staff.

The Olsons said today’s political climate is far more different, and they hope speaking about Jimmy Carter will inspire people to be more like him.
They described Carter as a man of faith and humility.

“[He was] somebody who could be in charge of immense undertakings and yet be able to apologize if he made a mistake, and that humility was evident throughout his life and his post-president experience,” Paul told KATU.

https://katu.com/news/local/portland-family-remembers-hosting-president-jimmy-carter-during-sleep-over
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Author: KATU News
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News post in at: December 31, 2024, 3:00 am.

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