Joseph L. "Jody" Powell

Jody Powell September 30, 1943 a�" September 14, 2009

A CAMBRIDGE, Md. a�" Jody Powell, White House press secretary and top adviser to President Jimmy Carter and the chairman, co-founder and former chief executive officer of the Powell Tate public relations firm, died Sept. 14, at his Eastern Shore home. He was 65.

A Joseph Lester Powell Jr., was born and raised on a Vienna, Ga., farm where his father grew peanuts and cotton and his mother was a civics teacher in the public school system. A gifted student and star high school athlete, Powell attended the U.S. Air Force Academy from 1961 to 1964 before graduating from Georgia State University in 1966 with a B.A. in political science.

A While a graduate student at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., where he completed the course work on a combined M.A./Ph.D. in political science, he became the volunteer driver for gubernatorial candidate Jimmy Carter. He was to work for Jimmy Carter as his press secretary and a key advisor for the next 11 years. A Powell played a pivotal role in Carter's 1976 campaign for the presidency, serving as his press secretary.A In the early stages of the campaign he was frequently the only aide traveling with the candidate.

A Following Powell's death, The New York Times characterized his four years in the Carter White House this way: "Mr. Powell's official White House title was press secretary to Mr. Carter, but he was much more than that. Unlike many White House press spokesmen, Mr. Powell really did have his boss's ear and really was privy to his boss's thinking

A When his White House years were over, Powell wrote a syndicated column for five years, and was an on-air ABC News analyst, appearing on a broad range of its broadcasts. His book on the relationship between the press and the presidency, The Other Side of the Story, was published in April 1984, and from January 1985 through May 1986 he held the Speaker Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Professorial Chair in American Politics at Boston College, teaching a course on the press and the presidency.

A From 1987 until 1991, he was chairman and chief executive officer of Powell Adams & Reinhart, formerly Ogilvy & Mather Public Affairs. In 1991, he teamed with Sheila Tate, former press secretary to First Lady Nancy Reagan, to found Powell Tate

A In a statement Monday night, former President Carter described the "great personal loss" he and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter shared over Powell's death, and said, "From the time he began, as a young graduate student, as my volunteer driver during my 1970 run for governor, no one worked more closely with me than Jody. His quick wit, confidence and ease in dealing with members of the press served me well. I could not have asked for a more intelligent, dedicated or loyal ally, confidant or friend.A

A "Jody was beside me in every decision I made as a candidate, governor and president and I could always depend on his advice and counsel being candid and direct. . .A I will miss him dearly a�" just as will his thousands of friends and colleagues. Our home state of Georgia and our country were well served by Jody's patriotism and his commitment to a better, fairer world."

A An avid hunter and fisherman, Powell and his family began visiting Maryland's Eastern Shore 15 years ago, subsequently purchasing property and making it their primary residence four years ago.

A He is survived by his wife Nan Powell, the former Nan Jared, of Cambridge; daughter Emily Boddy and son-in-law Mark Boddy and their three children, Sarah, Rachel and David Boddy, all of Richmond, Va.; mother June Powell of Americus, Ga.; sister Susan Glenn and brother-in-law Kirk Glenn of Hilton Head, S.C. He is also survived by his father-in-law Ed Jared of Gainesville, Ga.; and brothers-in-law Ed Jared, Jr., Jerry Jared and David Jared, as well as their wives and a number of nieces and nephews.

A The funeral service for Jody Powell will be held on Thursday, Sept. 17, at 2 p.m. at the Zion United Methodist Church, 612 Locust Street, Cambridge, Md. 21613. The church is small, and the family is designating the service as one for family and local community friends.

A Visitation will be on Wednesday, Sept. 16 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Thomas Funeral Home at 700 Locust Street in Cambridge.

A On Saturday, Oct. 3 at a time to be determined a Celebration of the Life of Jody Powell will be held at the Second Baptist Church, 9614 River Road, Richmond, Va. 23229.

A The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to either the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT), c/o Pam Davis, 11 Public Square, Suite 200, Hagerstown, MD 21740 or The Special Operations Warriors Foundation (SOWF). SOWF checks may be sent to P.O. Box 13483, Tampa, FLA 33681-3483, and online donations may be made at warriors@specialops.org.

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