It Was Dark, Freezing and 4 a.m. Still, They Came to See Jimmy Carter.

The early morning sky was a pool of ink, and the air was violently cold, at least by the standards of a Southerner by way of Nigeria. Still, Cornelius Ani pulled himself out of bed on Tuesday, bundled up and drove in 30 miles from the Atlanta suburbs. He had to.

This was his chance — his only chance — to be in the presence of someone like Jimmy Carter. A president of the United States. A Nobel Peace Prize laureate. A Georgian. A man with humble roots he deeply admired. Mr. Ani, 62, expected he would never encounter anyone else like that in his lifetime.

“That combination can only come from somebody who is chosen,” Mr. Ani said, beaming — suddenly immune to the chill — as he walked away from Mr. Carter’s coffin, having come to the Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta hours before sunrise.

“Give it all, give it all, give it all,” Mr. Ani, a civil engineer, said. That was the lesson he took from Jimmy Carter.

Credit…

“It is invigorating. It is empowering. This is the best way to start the day.”

Cornelius Ani

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.