Jerry McAllister.

The press had fair reviews of Jimmy Carter upon his passing – third quartile of past presidents, A+ for post-president contributions, wonderful person, smart, and marginal political savvy. I liked him, as did most citizen voters. The people wanted change and distance from Washington politics in the 1975 election, and we got it, beginning on January 20 1976.

What transpired for other American politicians of the Carter era? Hubert Humphery died soon after the Carter inauguration. Nixon was ousted but eventually rehabilitated himself, somewhat. Ford picked up the pieces after Nixon and provided admirable service for his country. Mondale was arguably the most effective vice president ever.

My association with the political figures of the day was meaningless but perhaps interesting. I graduated from the big state school in Austin Texas in 1971 and accepted a job as a chemist with the Atomic Energy Commission in Ames Iowa. There were still tales of the Manhattan Project swirling about in the dust. I attended the first ever Iowa Caucus in 1971 in Story City north of Ames, and was elected delegate to attend the Democratic County and District Conventions. I had stood up for Edmund Musky who withdrew – just after my coming forward – for crying in public. In Des Moines, I was impressed by Harold Hughes, a former truck driver, governor and then-present US Senator from Iowa. Previously. I had been active in politics while in Austin, campaigning for George H. W. Bush (a Texas liberal for the time) in a failed run for governor. I attended a rally in an airport hangar. He shook hands with me and everyone else in attendance. Like Hughes, he impressed me as a person of much substance.

In 1972, I accepted a job in the Twin Cities to work on disposable respirators, one of which became the N95 of COVID-19 fame. That fall I knocked on every door in my Roseville Minnesota precinct, campaigning for George McGovern. Nixon soundly defeated George almost everywhere. My first ring suburb precinct was McGovern’s only suburban victory in St. Paul. People were still sick and tired of the Democrats for Viet Nam, and Watergate was many months away.

Next, I became active in St. Paul Democratic Party politics. Wendell Anderson was governor and on the cover of Time Magazine. I was invited to the Governor’s Mansion for an outdoor reception. Wendell reminded me of Jay Gatsby, a prominent character in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel. Ironically, I learned later that the latter’s home in the 1920s was just down the street from the Mansion.

Senator Mondale brushed me in-passing a few times. First, handshakes at a couple of Democrat fundraisers. Next, the senator ordered the Republican head of OSHA [Morton Corn] to visit 3M in St. Paul and hear the true story about disposable respirators. I presented 3M’s case, and Mr. Corn switched his position. Finally, Mondale and I bought English setter hunting dogs from the same breeder. We waved once from a distance as we were both training dogs with pen-raised pheasants.

In summary, Austin, Ames, and St. Paul were pleasant places to live and participate in Democratic Party politics, and I am proud to have been a Democrat on the side with Jimmy Carter.

Jerry McAllister is a retired chemist, writer and avid outdoorsman who lives in northwestern Wisconsin on Big Sissabagama Lake. Once upon a time, he completed post-doc research at Iowa State University. All seven of his grandchildren live in Iowa.