Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday marked by naturalization ceremony, tributes at Carter Center

Staff and visitors celebrated former President Jimmy Carter's 100th birthday at the Carter Center in Atlanta on Tuesday. 

The day began with a naturalization ceremony. Dozens of foreign nationals took an oath of allegiance to become U.S. citizens. 

A steady stream of visitors toured the facility throughout the day, penning special birthday wishes. 

"I think Jimmy Carter is a very wonderful, godly man and I think he leaves such a legacy in this country to be kind," Brooke Ice told FOX 5's Deidra Dukes. 

The Carter Center charged a $1 admission fee  to the museum in honor of the centenarian's 100th birthday. 

John McDonald and his son Sean reflected on Mr. Carter's great humanitarian work on the global scale, including the eradication of guinea worm disease. 

"Him partnering with other groups and doctors to try and really alleviate a huge problem where it went from millions of people getting infected by this and it's similar to polio to now it's in single digits last I saw. It makes a really big difference," said Sean McDonald. 

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Carter Center CEO Paige Alexander reflected on Mr. Carter's lasting legacy. 

"He only spent eight years in public office between the governorship and White House," Alexander explained, "and he spent 40 years giving back. It was not just giving back to the American people. It's giving back to the world. And if we all can hit 100 and know how much we had changed the world like Jimmy Carter had is the tribute he would want." 

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