Me and the Family in the Wakulla News

Robert Buccellato of Crawfordville is an author, as well as Historian for the Clerk of Court of Leon County.
He has published three books to date, “Florida Governor’s Lasting Legacies,” “Finding Dan McCarty,” and “Jimmy Carter in Plains: The Presidential Hometown.” The latter tells the fascinating and inspiring story of Jimmy Carter’s surprisingly successful campaign and 1976 victory of becoming the 39th President of the United States.
The book describes how growing up in the small town of Plains, Ga., shaped the man, and how together he and his community of supporters, known as the Peanut Brigade, changed the nation through an unprecedented hands on approach to politicking.
It walks you through the presidency, highlighting those things that set Carter apart from presidents before him, such as his position on civil rights and his eventually winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
Buccellato also describes the inevitable changes the town of Plains underwent as a direct result of the influx of tourists and media attention surrounding the campaign and presidency. Much effort went into preserving the small town’s charm despite it’s growth during this period.
The book is not only well written, but it is also artfully illustrated with an array of old photographs to support and enhance the story.
From the moment you meet Buccellato, it is obvious that he has a great appreciation for history.
More importantly, he is a story teller who enthusiastically imparts bits of historical whimsy to anyone who will listen.
When asked what inspired him to write this book or why Jimmy Carter, he generally answers that he was largely influenced by his grandfather, a 20-year legislator in the Florida House of Representatives during the Golden Years of Florida Politics.
However, in a speaking engagement and book signing at the Gwinnett County Public Library in Atlanta earlier this year, he admitted that upon further reflection, the answer actually runs deeper than that. Carter, as a peanut farmer from South Georgia, beat all the odds and became a huge success who “has the ability to make things that seem extraordinarily impossible not only possible, but easy, with hard work and determination,” he says.


“And that feeling that you and your community can run, and win, a presidential campaign, is something, I think, that speaks to the best of our system,” Buccellato says. “And it’s still evergreen, this possibility of improving and helping to evolve our system.”
An avid supporter of preserving the “pockets of history across the country, because many have been lost” Buccellato says that upon entering Plains, one sees “miles of hill and tree, people feel they’ve stepped back in time to a lifestyle of day’s past.”
In fact, he has been known to compare Crawfordville to Plains.
When asked about this, he readily offered noteworthy similarities between the two towns. For instance, the old world feel of the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s is still present in both places.
In Plains, it’s in the preservation of the old Train Depot that acted as campaign headquarters, largely because it had the only public restroom in town.
Here, the sense of old Florida can be found in the beach bungalows and white sand beaches.
Additionally, both towns have what he described as a detached sense of community, still supporting a feeling of “the leisurely agrarian lifestyle and a freedom from being plugged-in.”
The book mentions that shortly after the election, Plains received its first traffic light.
This brought back memories of growing up in Crawfordville, during a time when there was only one traffic light.


Buccellato has been writing since around the age of 12, beginning with fiction and later focusing on non-fiction. Originally from Hollywood, Fla., he moved to the panhandle in 1998.
After attending FSU, he married his wife Stephanie and welcomed their son Croston to the family last year.
In addition to his family, career as historian and numerous book publishing’s, Buccellato manages book signings, radio shows and speaking engagements, as well as a YouTube channel and a Florida history blog.
He is currently working on writing his fourth book, a biography of Jimmy Carter.




here is the link folks
http://www.thewakullanews.com/content/%E2%80%98preserving-pockets-history%E2%80%99

Florida Squeeze article Finding Dan McCarty

Our good friends at THE FLORIDA SQUEEZE are just too nice
here is a lovely little article they wrote about the book




Finding Dan McCarty the new book by Robert Buccellato has been released and is available via Amazon.com (click on the link on the book title to purchase a copy). I’m honored to have contributed to this work writing a Forward which was about the 1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s in Florida politics.

"A thin layer of glass separated him from the crowd; the endless stream of people walking past his open casket, glancing down at his lifeless face. His body lay resting inches from the main rotunda stairway where just a handful of years earlier he could be seen running up in a mix of energy and youthful vigor that would make him Florida’s youngest speaker and Governor. South Florida’s first Governor, a progressive who was also a realist, McCarty was now stricken by a heart attack. His policies now at the hands of his nemesis, the arch conservative Senate President Charley Johns. But fate and happenstance stepped in and allowed his state to flourish none the less. Finding Dan McCarty is a story about two very different men on similar journeys of personal and professional discovery. On the one hand is an Historian reaching out to the last members of this distant moment in Florida’s history to understand the life of a deceased politician, long hidden under a cloak of mystery. The other is a fallen Governor, who left behind in his wake a lasting legacy of achievement. A story which paints vivid portraits of McCarty’s many enemies, allies, and the historic events that formed the Governor’s thrilling brief life. Written by Robert Buccellato author of the acclaimed “Jimmy Carter in Plains.”

New Promotional images for Jimmy Carter in Plains

Cyrus Webb Radio show book review

Robert Buccellato shows with JIMMY CARTER IN PLAINS that anything is possible

Last year I had the pleasure of connecting with author Robert Buccellato and getting an advance copy of his book JIMMY CARTER IN PLAINS. As someone who loves history and getting to know the story behind the individuals we feel as though we know, I was excited for the chance to read it. I didn't know at the time, however, that it would take me not just into former President Carter's humble beginnings but how where he was from and what he accomplished became so personal for those around him.

What Robert has done through words and most importantly pictures is give us a snapshot into the life and the home of a man who believed great things were possible, no matter where you are from---and what he accomplished proved just that. This is not a political book. This is a book of hope and of appreciation that where we begin may not tell you how far you can go but it can be the starting point for everything in your life.

It wasn't just that Jimmy Carter became President. It was that he showed that anyone could do it if they believed, put in the work and had a vision for what was possible.

This is a book that will take you back into a former President's life but also remind us that moving forward that it all begins with a decision to do something great and then rallying others to believe it can happen for them as well.

Jimmy Carter in Plains: Robert Buccellato valdosta daily news article

“Jimmy Carter in Plains” is mostly a picture book filled with photographs of the 39th President and his family in their Georgia hometown.

Charles W. Plant provides the mother lode of photos. Robert Buccellato provides the words.

The book is part of the Images of Modern America series.

There are plenty of photographs of all of the Carters from the period when he was running for President of the United States: Brother Billy, mother Lillian, wife Rosalynn, etc.

The book reveals Carter’s small-town roots and his outsized ambition to move from the office of Georgia governor to the White House.

Ironically, as the book is filled with Plains photos and remains true to the title “Jimmy Carter in Plains,” the cover is a photograph of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter walking the streets of Washington, D.C., during the presidential inauguration.

With dozens of photos, the book is an interesting look, literally and figuratively, into the small town that fueled the rise of Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential campaign. The same town that serves as his home and inspiration today.

Jimmy Carter In Plains : An Amazon bestseller

For the third time since it went on pre-sale
the book has become the #1 New Release in Photography History
It has remained within the top ten all week long and according to the publisher, as sold over half of its first edition. Oh and did I mention the book was only released two days ago.



Get the acclaimed book while you still can, apparently Amazon has had to order another set of books so they won't get sold out.

http://www.amazon.com/Jimmy-Carter-Plains-Images-America/dp/146711541X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454535253&sr=8-1&keywords=robert+buccellato

Jimmy Carter in Plains book review by Jose Blanco

Jimmy Carter in Plains
Review by José Blanco F.
Dominican University
River Forest, Illinois.

Blanco is the author of "Becoming Billy Carter" and was a leader in the creation of the Billy Carter museum in Plains, Ga.

Jimmy Carter in Plains by Robert Buccellato brings us ever closer to the background that Plains—a small Georgia town—provides in the life of the 39th president of the United States of America. Buccelato’s carefully researched and organized tome is clearly the result of a passionate project, digging as deep as possible into archives in order to create this fantastic visual panorama for Plains. As the author acknowledges in his introduction, Plains exudes contemporary American history in every corner from the Billy Carter Service Station to the Jimmy Carter’s boyhood home.
The book is organized in sections, allowing the reader to digest the large amount of photographs —accompanied by informative and intriguing information. Section One introduces the town and its most famous resident. We learn about Jimmy Carter’s childhood, family, earlier years in politics, and the beginning of his presidential campaign. Plains, as the “home of the next president,” takes center stage on the second chapter. Anyone who has been to Plains will enjoy the many images of the town, including the train depot that served as campaign headquarters. Those who have never visited should become intrigued enough to start planning a trip to Carter’s hometown. We are also introduced to key family and community members including Billy and Lillian Carter. A wealth of curious information is presented including the fact that many Plains residents were quick to sell their property for a profit during the campaign years. Part three is an exhilarating account of the election with a wealth of images that follow Carter’s every step to the White House. The section includes memorabilia and photographs depicting Carter’s campaign and even some material on President Ford’s reelection efforts. A variety of documents and images illustrate Carter’s move into Washington, DC including inauguration day and the first official photograph portrait of first lady Rosalynn Carter. The last section of the book recounts life in Plains, Georgia in the years following the Carter presidency including the town’s current status as a national Park. The story comes full circle with a series of images that inspire not only nostalgia but also awe at the remarkable story of the peanut farmer who became president and the town that still today frames his story.
Buccellato is a fine historian, weaving through images a story that will forever spark curiosity on the American public. The book is a fantastic archival testament to the timeliness of Jimmy Carter and Plains, Georgia.

Jimmy Carter in Plains Book Review by Frye Gaillard

It is my great honor to present this book blurb by Frye Gaillard the author of Prophet from Plains



Jimmy Carter in Plains is an inspiring, evocative look at the life of our 39th President, set against the backdrop of a small Southern town that has always been his anchor. In words and photographs, Robert Bucccellato has given us an accessible and engaging portrait of the legacy of this remarkable man.
 -- Frye Gaillard, author, Prophet from Plains

Book Review by Mary E Stuckey

The following book blurb was provided by the Great author Mary e Stuckley. Author of jimmy carter human rights and the national agenda, The Good Neighbor, and defining Americans to name a few.

As a presidential candidate and as president, Jimmy Carter remained a man of the South, deeply rooted in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. In this lovely pictorial history, Robert Buccellato brings the Carter campaign and its profound and continuing relationship to Plains vividly to life. In photos of the Carters, their campaign staff, the campaign itself, and the ways in which all of these continue to be commemorated in Plains, this book contributes to our understanding of Americana, political campaigns, small-town Southern life, and the Carter presidency.