Keeping the Legacies of US Presidents Alive

TUCKED AWAY IN A QUARTER OF KEY WEST LIES. THE LITTLE WHITE HOUSE HAS PLAYED HOST TO MANY U.S. PRESIDENTS ON VACATION. THE HEIRS OF TRUMAN, FORD AND CARTER MIGHT HAVE COME TO AN END. A NEW GENERATION GATHERED IN AMERICA'S SOUTH EASTERNMOST CITY TO CONTINUE THE LEGACIES OF FORMER COMMANDERS IN CHIEFS AS PART OF OUR COVERAGE OF FLORIDA TO 50 WGCUS PAM JAMES LEARNED ABOUT THE LASTING VALUES BEING CARRIED ON BY THESE PRESIDENTIAL DESCENDANTS. >> SO NICE FOR MANY DESCENDANTS OF AMERICAN PRESIDENTS. THE MOMENT THEY REALIZE THEIR FAMILY WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT, CAME EARLY AND OFTEN UNEXPECTEDLY FOR JOSH CARTER, GRANDSON OF PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER. IT WAS FIRST GRADE. >> I REMEMBER THAT EVERYBODY KNEW WHO MY GRANDFATHER WAS AND I FELT BAD BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW WHO ANYBODY ELSE'S GRANDFATHER WAS. AND WHAT THEY DID WITH THE JOB WAS YOU HAD TO KNOW IS A FIRST GRADE. EVERYBODY'S GRANDPA. DID THERE. >> GRANDSON OF PRESIDENT HARRY TRUMAN. CLIFTON TRUMAN, DANIEL ALSO LEARNED THE TRUTH IN FIRST GRADE. >> AND THE TEACHER SAID WHEN THAT WORK WELL, WELL, WELL, WHAT WOULD YOU CLARIFY? THE PRESENT UNITED STATES? TO WHICH I REPLIED, I DON'T KNOW. THAT'S A NEW ONE. AND I MARCHED ACROSS THE LIVING ROOM WHERE MY MOTHER WAS SITTING AND I SAID MOM. DID YOU KNOW THE GRANT PATRULLA BEEN PRESIDENT? >> SUSAN FORD BALES IS THE DAUGHTER OF PRESIDENT GERALD FORD. SHE DISCOVERED HER FAMILY SIGNIFICANCE DURING A NATIONAL CRISIS. >> WHEN WE MOVED IN, THAT WAS NOT OUR BIGGEST PRIORITY AT THE TIME. AND YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER, I WAS 17. SO IT WASN'T UNTIL MUCH LATER IN LIFE THAT I REALLY KIND OF FIGURED OUT AND BEGAN TO MEET SOME OF THE OTHER DESCENDANTS AND THE JOHNSONS. AND OF COURSE, I HAD MET THE NEXT SONS AND YOU START TO COMB INGLE AND THAT'S KIND OF WHEN YOU REALIZE, YEAH, IF YOU LIVE IN A VERY SMALL FISH BALL. PATERNITY SORTIE TYPE. THANK YOU AND HOW LUCKY YOU ARE TO EXPERIENCE IT. >> THIS INFORMAL CLUB BECAME OFFICIAL IN 2021. AS A SOCIETY OF PRESIDENTIAL DESCENDANTS JOSH. SUSAN, IN CLIFTON, OUR MEMBERS, THEY WERE FEATURED AT THIS YEAR'S KEY WEST HARRY S TRUMAN FOUNDATION, ANNUAL PRESIDENTIAL DESCENDANTS FOR HIM HOSTED AT THE LITTLE WHITE HOUSE. THE THEME FOR 2026 WAS A TRIBUTE TO PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER. HIS DAUGHTER, AMY CARTER, SPOKE OF HIS LEGACY. >> I DON'T THINK OF THE PRESIDENCY AS BEING THIS SEPARATE. ENTITY AND HIS LIFE BECAUSE HE REALLY WAS. A MAN OF SERVICE FROM BASICALLY THE MOMENT HE WAS BORN. HE WORKED ON A FARM. HE WENT TO THE NAVAL ACADEMY. HE, YOU KNOW, WORKED ON A NUCLEAR SUBMARINE. YOU KNOW, HE WAS GOVERNOR OF GEORGIA. HE WAS FIGHTING SEGREGATION. HE BECAME PRESIDENT. HE GOT OUT. HE STARTED THE CARTER CENTER LIKE HE JUST DIDN'T STOP. >> ALTHOUGH CARTER'S IMPACT WAS CLEAR IN SOME WAYS. JOSH CARTER IN THE OTHER DESCENDANTS SHARED AN ISSUE THAT EACH PRESIDENT FACED THAT THEY BELIEVE WAS TENSION WITH MISUNDERSTANDING FOR PRESIDENT CARTER. IT WAS THE IRAN HOSTAGE CRISIS. IT DID TAKE OVER THE LAST. >> 444 DAYS, MY GRANDPA. HIS PRESIDENCY. >> AND IT WAS AS HE WROTE MANY TIMES THE HARDEST TIME OF HIS LIFE. BUT THAT DID OVERSHADOW A LOT OF THE GOOD THAT HE DID. >> SUSAN SPOKE ABOUT HER FATHER'S DECISION TO PARDON PRESIDENT NIXON. >> PEOPLE WERE SO ANGRY ABOUT HIM DOING IT IN EVERYBODY. I WAS CONVINCED THAT IT WAS SOMETHING HE AND PRESIDENT NIXON HAD WORKED OUT, WHICH IS NOT TRUE. AND IT HAS TAKEN THE LAST 50 PLUS YEARS FOR AMERICA TO REALIZE THAT IT WAS THE RIGHT DECISION AT THE RIGHT TIME AND TRUMAN'S LEGACY. >> CLIFTON, JUST LEFT. HE WAS SO UP FRONT ABOUT EVERYTHING HE DID IN THE REASONS HE DID IT. I DON'T THINK ANYBODY HAD ANY WAY TO MISUNDERSTAND HARRY TRUMAN AT ALL. HE HE DIDN'T LIKE MISUNDERSTANDING NEED TO TELL YOU EXACTLY WHY HE WAS DOING THINGS. >> CONTINUING TO SHARE THE HUMAN SIDE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL RELATIVES. CLIFTON TELLS A STORY ABOUT A MAN WHOSE CAR BROKE DOWN OUTSIDE THE TRUMAN HOME IN INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI. >> THE MAN WALKED OUT THE FRONT DOOR SHIP GRANDPAS HAND AND STARTED DOWN THE STEPS AND GOT HALFWAY DOWN AND STOP. A LOOK BACK UP. AND HE SAID, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING. AND I HOPE YOU DON'T TAKE OFFENSE AT THIS. BUT YOU LOOK A OF A LOT LIKE THAT. BEING HARRY TRUMAN. GRANDPA PARENTAGE SMILE BACK AND SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW SOMETHING. I HOPE YOU DON'T TAKE OFFENSE. I AM. THAT IS SO BIG. >> JOSH PAINTED A PORTRAIT OF PRESIDENT CARTER AS AN OUTDOORSMAN. >> HE WAS OUTSIDE NEARLY EVERY CHANCE THAT HE WOULD GET. HE WAS ALSO AN AVID FISHERMAN AND AVID BIRD WATCHER. HE WAS STILL GO OUT THERE AND START THE SEASON BRINGS MY COMMENTS OF A SHOT GUN BECAUSE HE JUST LOVED BEING OUTSIDE IN NATURE. >> AND SUSAN SHARED A SIMPLE TRUTH ABOUT HER DAD. HE WAS. BIG TEDDY BEAR. AND HE WAS ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE LISTENERS. >> A KEY PURPOSE FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY OF PRESIDENT OF THE SENTENCES TO CARRY ON THEIR FAMILY HISTORY. CLIFTON DESCRIBED THOSE DUTIES. >> THERE ARE 2 BASIC JOBS. THE FIRST IS TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR ANCESTORS, LEGACY TO DO WHAT YOU CAN TO KEEP IT TRUTHFUL TO KEEP IT INTACT. THE SECOND THING AND PROBABLY MORE IMPORTANT IS TO DO SOMETHING POSITIVE WITH IT. IN MY CASE THAT MEANT A DECADE OR SO AGO VISITING HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI. AND WORKING THERE AFTER A FEW FEW FOR A FEW YEARS WITH SURVIVORS, SOME OF WHOM I CALL FRIENDS. >> FOR SUSAN, IT'S A DUAL PURPOSE FOR THE FORD FAMILY. >> AND IT'S NOT JUST HIS LEGACY, BUT IT'S ALSO MY MOTHER'S LEGACY. I SIT ON THE BOARD OF THE HAZLETON, BETTY FORD FOUNDATION AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT FOR A LONG TIME. AND LIKE FORD CARTER'S PRESIDENCY WAS JUST ONE TERM. >> JIMMY CARTER DIED IN LATE 2024 AT THE AGE OF 100. JAMES EARL CARTER. THE 4TH TOLD THE FORUM THAT HIS GRANDFATHER ACTUALLY PREFERRED RETIREMENT. PEOPLE ALWAYS SAY WHERE HE WAS AN OKAY PRESIDENT. HE WAS A GREAT FORMER PRESIDENT. WE WOULD SAY THAT HE WAS. >> GREAT AT BOTH. BUT WE DO ALL AGREE THAT HE WAS A GREAT FORMER PRESIDENT AND THAT WAS PART OF WHY HE WAS ABLE TO USE THE THINGS THAT THAT GAVE HIM TO GET THE THINGS ACCOMPLISHED THAT HE WASN'T ABLE TO DO AS PRESIDENT AND THAT HE CONTINUED TO WORK ON FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. >> STEEPED IN THEIR RELATIVES LEGACY. THE DESCENDANTS TURNED TO THE 200 50TH ANNIVERSARY AND OFFER THOUGHTS ON THE FUTURE OF AMERICA. >> OUR HISTORY IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO COME AND GO IN WAVES, TRY AND STAY IN A EVEN KEEL BECAUSE CHANGE IS GOING TO HAPPEN. >> DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU'D HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU. BUT TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER. >> WE CAN TAKE THAT MANTEL OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND RESPECT FOR ONE ANOTHER. WELL, FOR ONE, ANOTHER AS FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS, I MOVE THAT FOLLOWED WILL HAVE A GREAT COUNTRY. >> FOR W TO SEE YOU. AND TIM JAMES WITH VIDEOGRAPHER TOM G.