Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford may have started as political rivals, but they formed a tight bond behind the scenes, a former White House staffer tells PEOPLE. Their connection would span dec

Former president Jimmy Carter made three visitis to the area. Once as a presidential candidate, once as a college speaker, and one where he got photographed in his bathrobe.

As Gerald Ford’s chief White House photographer, David Hume Kennerly was able to get exclusive access to many scenes from Jimmy Carter’s presidential transition.

"My understanding is that there is a eulogy written that Ford himself did write, and Ford's son Steve will be delivering it at the funeral."

Famously competitive and sometimes abrasive, Jimmy Carter had many political rivalries, but he also was determined to reconcile with adversaries.

Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford developed a strong friendship post-presidency, despite being political rivals. Their bond was marked by joint ventures and personal connections, providing mutual support beyond political divides.

The nation pauses to honor Jimmy Carter for his service as a naval officer, governor and president, and his four decades of humanitarian work after leaving the White House.

Jimmy Carter and the man he beat for president, Gerald Ford, got so tight after office that their friendship became a kind of buddy movie, complete with road trips that were never long enough because they had so much to gab about.

Jimmy Carter, who passed away at age 100 on December 29, was America’s oldest living president. State funeral rites for Carter began on Saturday in Plains, Georgia where he grew up. On Thursday (January 9),

Gerald Rafshoon helped take Carter from the peanut farm to the White House. Here, he exclusively recalls some of the key moments of a decades-long relationship.