Jimmy Carter, the former U.S. president who struggled with a bad economy and a hostage crisis but went on to a long and admired post-White House career, will be honored at a state funeral in Washington on Thursday.

Carter’s long public goodbye began Saturday in the state where the 39th U.S. president was born, lived and died.

In this otherwise unassuming corner of west Georgia, “Carter culture” blossomed, marked by faith, curiosity, and service that melded into Carter’s bones.