Local Author, Former State Department Official Dot Padgett to Hold Book Signing, Talk at Douglas County RAC

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Padgett Book Cover

LITHIA SPRINGS – Local author and former U.S. State Department official Dorothy “Dot” Padgett will speak and sign copies of her book Jimmy Carter: Elected President with Pocket Change and Peanuts April 17 at Mercer University’s Douglas County Regional Academic Center, located at 975 Blairs Bridge Road in Lithia Springs. The event, which will begin at 6 p.m., is free and open to the public.

Padgett, who lives in historic downtown Douglasville, organized the Carter presidential campaign effort known as the Peanut Brigade. Her book, which chronicles Carter’s path from a peanut farm in rural Georgia to the White House, was released by Mercer University Press in September 2016.

In 1975, Carter announced he would run for president. Due to new federal laws, only $21.8 million was provided for the general election campaign, a trivial amount compared to future campaigns.

An army of loyal supporters, friends, neighbors and elected officials, including Padgett, joined the campaign and were known as the Peanut Brigade. They traveled across the country with Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, knocking on doors, standing at factory gates, walking streets, rallying votes for Carter.

During Carter’s presidency, Padgett was appointed assistant chief of protocol in the State Department.

She has also served as a former member of the Democratic National Committee, the Georgia Council for the Arts, and the Metropolitan Mental Health Association, and she presently serves on The Carter Center Board of Councilors.

She will sign copies of her book in the student lounge before speaking in Room 121 to those in attendance, including members of Dr. Clinton Terry’s “Georgia History” course, about Carter’s governorship of Georgia.

Dr. Terry is associate professor of history in Mercer’s Penfield College, which offers a variety of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs to working adults.

About Penfield College of Mercer University

Penfield College of Mercer University, established as the College of Continuing and Professional Studies in 2003, is committed to serving non-traditional learners and currently enrolls more than 1,300 students. Undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs are offered to working adult learners seeking professional advancement into leadership roles in and beyond their communities. Educational programs provide students with distinctive, multidisciplinary programs that integrate theory and practice. The College offers general education and elective courses for various colleges and schools at Mercer. Another initiative called the Bridge program transitions students enrolled in Mercer’s English Language Institute and other international students to undergraduate programs throughout the University. Areas of study include organizational leadership, counseling, human services, human resources, informatics, criminal justice leadership, nursing preparation, liberal studies, psychology, communication, homeland security and emergency management, and healthcare leadership. Programs are offered on Mercer’s campuses in Atlanta and Macon, as well as multiple regional academic centers in Douglas County, Henry County and online. To learn more, visit penfield.mercer.edu.