OBIT

Jody Powell Dies

Carter’s press secretary was 65.

President Jimmy Carter's press secretary, Jody Powell, died on Monday at his home on Maryland's Eastern Shore of an apparent heart attack, according to a family friend. Born Joseph Lester Powell, his nickname derived from the young hero in Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ classic The Yearling. The 65-year-old was Carter’s longest-serving aide; Powell worked on Carter’s campaign in 1976 and served as his spokesman from 1977 to 1981. After leaving the White House, he became CEO of the Powell Tate Group, a public-relations and lobbying firm in Washington. The Georgia native's death comes a year after that of Hamilton Jordan, Carter's chief of staff and fellow native Georgian. The two appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in 1977, dubbed the White House’s "whiz kids."