Worland centenarian remembers a blue Wyoming

When Rosalynn Carter passed away on November 19, the nation mourned the passing of the former first lady.

The wife of President Jimmy Carter, who served one term as president from 1977 to 1981, Rosalynn was known for being a proudly non-traditional first lady; she launched humanitarian initiatives, sat in on cabinet meetings, and was referred to by her husband as an "equal partner."

For one Worland resident, the news of Rosalynn's passing was an opportunity to reminisce about a special time in Wyoming history.

Dolores (Dee) Arps, a 106-year-old Worland resident, was interviewed with the help of her daughter, Sharon White, to tell the story of the Carters' first trip to Wyoming.

Having grown up on a Nebraska farm during the Great Depression, Arps' worldview was shaped early on. The poverty she witnessed turned her into a staunch Democrat when she was still a child. By the time she was 13, she had convinced her father – a farmer – to vote Democrat.

Arps got married and moved to Worland in 1940, where she would continue her political activities.

In 1978, Arps was the vice chairman of the Wyoming Democratic Party beneath Chairman Dave Freudenthal of Thermopolis. She remembered of this time, "We had to always go to all the affairs that went on in the state, and we took a lot of static because we were Democrat. You fought constantly, you were always supporting your party, fighting that they got recognized. We really worked hard. I worked hard then, and we had more Democrats in Washakie County than ever before."

She said, "One day that summer, I came home from work and I got a phone call. I answered it, and they told me that this was the White House calling. This was election year, and I was constantly getting crank calls from the Republicans. They were always giving me a hard time. I thought that's all this was, so I replied, 'Yeah? Who's White House?' They said, 'well, the President's.'"

Arps continued, "After I finally believed them, they said that they wanted to invite my husband, Leonard, and I to greet the president on his trip to Wyoming."

According to Arps, this was a very unusual endeavor for the president to make at the time. She said Wyoming was often overlooked politically, saying, "It was almost like a forgotten country."

Even more unusual, the Democratic president decided to visit at the only time in Wyoming's history when it was a full blue state. Wyoming's House representative was Democrat Teno Roncalio, who served from 1971 until December 1978, and to this day is the last Democratic House representative from Wyoming. Additionally, Wyoming's governor was Democrat Edgar Herschler, who served from 1975 until 1987.

The day of the Carters' visit came on Aug. 26, 1978. Arps remembers standing on the tarmac outside of Jackson Hole with the rest of the welcome party, along with Secret Service agents, waiting for the Carters to arrive. She said the presidential party was an hour late, and people were starting to get nervous. Finally, they arrived welcomed by the Wyomingites, as well as a herd of elk that had wandered near the airport.

Arps recalls that the family was immediately infatuated when they got out of the helicopter. She said, "They were so fascinated by the wildlife. Their daughter, Amy, wanted to take pictures."

Arps said that the whimsical scene came to an end when a herd of buffalo got a little too close to the president. By then, it was time for the party to head to the Yellowstone Lake Lodge. Arps said that this gathering is where she remembered most of her interactions with Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.

She said, "They were so impressed, and surprised, they wanted to know all about Wyoming. They decided that they would stay longer than they originally planned so that they could spend more time in Yellowstone, even taking a helicopter ride over the park for an aerial view."

After already having a whirlwind of a day, the Carters were whisked away once again to attend another event in Jackson, and that's the last Arps saw of them that day. She said, "Rosalynn was a very sweet lady. Rather quiet, but a very neat woman, and she would meet the people; and Jimmy would mix very well with the people. They really enjoyed their time here; they had never been west of the Mississippi River. They were quite surprised at the vastness of the West, and the vastness of the park."

Arps said that after their visit, she was frequently invited to the White House to visit the Carters. She said, "They kept in contact, and I was invited to dinner at the White House later as part of the Western States Agriculture Committee. Whenever I was in Washington after that, I was always invited to a luncheon or something at the White House."

As a final remark on the impact that visit had on her 45 years ago, Arps said, "It was an interesting time for Wyoming, and definitely an interesting time for Wyoming Democrats. When the Carters visited Yellowstone that summer, it put Wyoming on the map."