She worked as a shampoo girl at a hair salon when her father, Wilburn Edgar Smith, died in 1940.
She started dating Jimmy Carter around that time and enrolled in Georgia Southwestern College.
Carter’s work as an honorary chair on the President’s Commission on Mental Health led to the Mental Health Systems Bill, which aimed to protect those with mental illness from discrimination.
As first lady, Carter put together a task force to look into federal programs for older Americans.
Three other books have been published since then, tied to her advocacy work: “Helping Yourself Help Others: A Book for Caregivers,” published in 1994; “Helping Someone with Mental Illness: A Compassionate Guide for Family, Friends, and Caregivers,” published in 1998; and “Within Our Reach: Ending the Mental Health Crisis,” published in 2010.