ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Many of the final arrangements for President Jimmy Carter’s state funeral are still being ironed out. He passed away on Sunday at 100 years old.

What You Need To Know

  • Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, made an impact on the lives of many, including a Rochester man who worked on Carter's campaign

  • Jack Kreckel says Carter made the people around him feel respected

  • Kreckel believes history will be kind to President Carter

The 39th president of the United States made an impact on the lives of many, including a Rochester man who says he’s proud to have worked for Carter.

During his second run for the office of the president, Carter’s team included a young Jack Kreckel from Rochester.

“I started in the summer of ‘79, and my job was basically field work," Kreckel said. "You organize. You identify your voters. You get them out. And that was in a primary setting."

He was thrilled to land a job on the Carter campaign.

“[I was] just out of college and I was flamingly idealistic and I've worked on a campaign in New York before," Kreckel said. "But this was all part of that effort to change the world. As a young kid from Rochester, New York. You kidding me? It was like wide eyes all the time. And, you know, [I was] relatively naive, but I was very excited.”

Kreckel didn’t work one-on-one with Carter but spent time with him on occasion.

”It was occasional meetings," he said. "I was down the pecking order [but] he made people around him, no matter what level they were, I was low level, feel respected. He was very nice, very warm, but very serious about doing the business.”

Kreckel’s efforts on the Carter campaign landed him a job at the University of Rochester, where he remains to this day. Signs of where it began and who gave him his start are seen throughout his office with Carter campaign memorabilia.

He was there in 1983 when Carter came to visit the university.

“That audience stood enthusiastically and applauded him," he said.

Kreckel believes history will look kindly on the former president.

“[He had a] long life [and he] made a big difference," he said of Carter. "I think he had a lot of fun. So you can only be joyful about a life like that. He could look in the mirror and say, yeah, I was OK. There was nothing I regret. You know, he didn't squash people. He didn't denigrate people. He just tried to make the most of his position, leave the world a better place.”

And Kreckel’s thoughts on Carter’s passing?

“I guess in a religious sense, it would be well done, my good and faithful servant," he said. "He was 100 years old. He nailed it. You know, we should all feel so lucky as he did.”