Rosalynn Carter's advocacy for mental health was rooted in compassion and perseverance
The sun was shining in June 1979 as Rosalynn Carter made her way through an enthusiastic crowd in Laconia, New Hampshire.
“She shook my hand!” yelled one delighted participant.
The first lady was in the state for her husband’s reelection campaign, but this was no political rally. Instead, she was at a sprawling 75-year-old institution founded for “feebleminded” children that the U.S. Justice Department had deemed “a classic example of warehousing.” She was joined by Gov. Hugh Gallen, a kindred spirit who had been pushing to correct the deplorable conditions there and at the state’s psychiatric hospital.
“Going to a place like the Laconia State School and talking not to voters but to people dealing with a very acute issue — well, it doesn’t happen very often.
