This story originally appeared on Georgia Recorder. Jimmy Carter would chart a new course for the state at the start of his four-year term serving as Georgia’s governor when he used his inauguration address in 1971 to assert a public stand against the racial segregation that still maintained its popularity among many white Georgians.

The next time you’re marveling at the ruins at Sweetwater Creek State Park in Lithia Springs or standing in awe of the place known as “Georgia’s Little Grand Canyon," you might want to whisper a simple “thank you" to President Jimmy Carter.

Jimmy Carter ‘s long public goodbye began Saturday in south Georgia where the 39th U.S. president’s life began more than 100 years ago.