ROCKFORD, Mich. — Jimmy Carter had an eventful presidency — both good and bad — and it was all caught on film by the five White House photographers he had with him at all times in his last year. One of those photographers lives in Rockford.
As the country reflects on the life and legacy of the late president, she reflects on her intimate time at the White House as she experienced the behind-the-scenes of the presidency like no one else.
“She would come into the Oval Office, and he would grab her and give her a little kiss, and she'd be, ‘Oh, Jimmy,’” recalls Mary Dailey Brown about Rosalynn Carter and President Carter. “They really did like each other very much. They really were a loving couple.”
These are the intimate moments that Mary was a part of and captured on film. She remembers what it was like being in the room when important decisions were made.
“It was a tremendous opportunity to watch history as it happened and to be a part of it and to be a part of recording it,” she says.
Mary is originally from Illinois but now lives in Rockford. She’s the CEO of SowHope, a local nonprofit.
But as a young woman at Southern Illinois University in 1980, she had big dreams of being a photographer. And then a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity came along.
“I heard about a summer internship. So I applied for that,” Mary recalls. “And then I got hired onto staff.”
Mary received special privileges as the White House photographer and usually got called first to an important event or speech to capture the moment.
“The good thing about being in the White House was I had this little pass here. And that let me go in front of the press corps,” Mary says. “The press corps was always kind of behind this rope.”
Working alongside the president, she saw how he operated in stressful situations, always leading with a sense of compassion.
“I was very impressed with him while I was there; he really influenced me in the way that he led,” Mary tells us. “He was a real servant leader. He didn't ask anybody to do anything he wasn’t willing to do himself.”
Now, she remembers the late president with gratitude for letting her in and giving a passionate college student the opportunity of a lifetime.
“He has lived a great life,” says Mary. “Long, good life, but, you know, it's sad. He's a great man.”
Even though President Carter is gone, his legacy is engraved into the country’s history. And Mary was directly involved in that process — being there in his biggest moments and capturing that history for everyone to see.
