Athens, Ga. – “The Other Man from Plains: Billy Carter’s Wardrobe Revealed,” an exhibit featuring a selection of clothing items once belonging to the late Billy Carter will be on display in the new Barrow Hall Gallery at the University of Georgia campus from March 28-April 11.
Billy Carter (1937-1988) was former President Jimmy Carter’s brother. Like Jimmy, Billy was born in the small Georgia town of Plains where he lived most of his life. After graduating from high school and completing his enlistment with the Marines, Billy managed the family’s peanut business for a short time. In 1972, he bought an old service station in Plains and obtained a permit to sell liquor on the premises. Billy Carter’s Service Station became the hot spot in town during Jimmy’s presidential campaign, turning Billy into a bona fide celebrity. Billy’s popularity rivaled that of the 39th American president as he became a fixture of several television shows while endorsing products including “Billy Beer” and the “Redneck Power Pick-Up.”
The Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors in the University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences is consulting with the Plains Better Hometown Association and the Carter family in the future opening of the Billy Carter Service Station Museum in Plains. Several items from Carter’s wardrobe, as well as other memorabilia, have been under the department’s custody for processing and preparation for future display at the museum. The family has agreed to allow the department to show a sampling of the items for a short period.
Garments in the display include everyday clothing worn by Carter, such as cowboy boots, shirts and hats, as well as iconic “redneck power” T-shirts. Also on display will be items revealing his celebrity years such as colorful “Hee Haw Show” overalls, a NASCAR racing jacket, a Billy Beer T-shirt and a boxing robe worn in a famous fight with Smoking Joe Frazier. Also included will be T-shirts and memorabilia worn during Jimmy’s campaign for president and Billy’s own campaign for mayor of Plains.
The exhibit opens on March 28 in the new multiuse gallery on the second floor of Barrow Hall, where the TMI furnishing and interiors studio, classroom and CAD labs are now located. The gallery can be visited from Monday-Friday, 1-5 p.m. For weekend or other viewing times, contact José Blanco at jblanco@fcs.uga.edu.