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She was notorious at first for her courtroom miniskirts, but before she had completed her term as assistant Watergate special prosecutor, Jill Wine Volner had established a reputation as a cool, shrewd and resourceful lawyer. After 1½ years in private practice in Washington, D.C., Volner, 33, has accepted a post as General Counsel of the Army, in charge of thousands of Army lawyers around the world. "It's a rare challenge. It's having an impact on things that matter," said Jill. She may also have her foot in the right door. Her predecessors in the job: Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, Secretary of HEW Joseph Califano and Strategic Arms Negotiator Nominee Paul Warnke.
Is Billy Carter crassly cashing in on his new fame as the President's brother? "I'm just trying to break even," says Billy. "I've been running around not knowing what the hell I'm doing. A lot of places I've been to I haven't gotten even travel expenses." That is about to change. Nashville Talent Agent Tandy Rice has signed Billy to join the Grand Ole Opry stars he handles in his outfit, Top Billing. After Rice approached him, Billy talked it over with his brother ("I know peanuts but nothing about traveling or going in front of the public"). The President agreed that maybe the agent could help him.
What does Rice have in store? "Mixing and mingling," he says vaguely. That could mean some product endorsements, a feature television show or two, perhaps even a movie. Says Rice: "Right now I'd compare him to somebody like Ed McMahon."
One thing is sure, the "Billy market" is out there. Says Oakland Athletics Boss Charlie Finley: "I see where Bill Veeck [Chicago White Sox owner] is trying to get President Carter to throw out the first ball on opening day. Well, I'm trying to get Billy Carter. He's my kind of guy." Bantam Books rushed into print a collection of Billy's tell-it-like-it-is shots from the hip. An embarrassingly thin volume, Redneck Power: The Wit and Wisdom of Billy Carter sells for $1.50, yet went through its first printing of 210,000 within a week. Billy had nothing to do with the book and even made some noises about legal action when he got wind of it. But the book did make him that much more marketable.
Before he achieved celebrity status, Billy was a homebody whose idea of distant places was an occasional vacation in Florida's Walt Disney World with Sybil and the six kids (ages five months to 20 years). Now he travels as much to get out of Plains as to garner honorariums. Says Billy: "Hell, Plains is turning into a three-ring circus." So much so that Billy has been all but driven from his familiar haunts: a discarded school bus seat blocks access to the back room of the famous service station where he quaffs his afternoon beers, and nobody is admitted unless the employee who stands guard gives the O.K. Billy has even bought 170 acres of secluded woodland not far from town to build a new house, hidden from tourists.
Billy appeals strongly to working-class types who can identify with his beer-drinking, anti-Establishment ways. Some White House types worry about his growing visibility, but his brother has not complained—yet.