“We had a great party yesterday," said 71-year-old Jane Rice of Fairfax, Va. "25 neighbors came over to share cake and

“We had a great party yesterday," said 71-year-old Jane Rice of Fairfax, Va. "Twenty-five neighbors came over to share cake and sing for my dad’s birthday.”

In the heart of Virginia-Highland, sitting in a house constructed around the year of his birth, Charles Rice waits on his daughter to transport him to a dental appointment.



“We had a great party yesterday," said 71-year-old Jane Rice of Fairfax, Virginia. "Twenty-five neighbors came over to share cake and sing for my dad’s birthday."



Monday, Atlanta native Charles Rice turned 104 years old. He is, perhaps, the oldest living man in Atlanta.



September 16, 1920. One day later, Jim Thorpe signed to play professional football. Twelve days later, eight Chicago White Sox players (Black Sox Scandal) were indicted for fixing the World Series.

Charles Rice was recruited by the University of North Carolina on the GI Bill to play tennis for the Tar Heels legendary coac

Charles Rice was recruited by the University of North Carolina on the GI Bill to play tennis for the Tar Heels legendary coach John Kenfield.



“Yes, he may be the oldest. I know he is the oldest at the Veterans Administration Hospital here,” added his daughter, a retired former research scientist.



Mr. Rice was the paperboy for Gone With The Wind's Margaret Mitchell in Ansley Park.

“The famous author would pay her bill with dad, and wave from the window when his bicycle pulled up,” Jane said.



“That’s right,” her father affirmed, sitting in his wheelchair looking out the screen of his front door.

As a boy, he attended the opening of the Fox Theatre on Peachtree Street (1929). As a man, he played tennis with the legendary Atlanta ace Bitsy Grant.



As he welcomed me inside the quaint bungalow his parents purchased in the early 1950s — shaking my hand — the living room walls are Mamie Eisenhower pink. A wood television console sits in the corner as though waiting for Gunsmoke or the Jackie Gleason program to come on.



The Rice home is a marvelous, head-spinning time capsule: Figurines from the 1930s. Tennis trophies from the 1940s. Family photos from the first half of the 20th century. Ancient doors and windows the same as when President Truman was in office.



Rice attended Tech High School, nearby. He won four Georgia State HS Championships (1938-1939), went to Georgia Tech for a year, and then enlisted in the military (Ft. McPherson). After Pearl Harbor (Dec. 7, 1941), he served in North Africa with the signal corps.



During the war, he played exhibition tennis events in North Africa, facing the top French player as well as British stars of the era. After the war, Rice played for an Allies tennis team in Rome, Nice, and Roland Garros in Paris.



He was recruited by the University of North Carolina on the GI Bill to play tennis for the Tar Heels legendary coach John Kenfield.



Rice’s Chapel Hill, UNC teammate and friend was the iconic Vic Seixas (1924-July 2024) — the oldest living grand slam tournament winner; Wimbledon, and U.S. Open. A defining figure of the Davis Cup. A founding father of modern tennis.



Together, they were part of a terrific Tar Heels men’s tennis team. One of the best ever in Chapel Hill.



Rice played in the NCAA Championships, and an assortment of tournaments in the South. He earned his UNC undergraduate degree in physiology, and then a Masters.

As a boy, Charles Rice attended the opening of the Fox Theatre on Peachtree Street (1929). As a man, he played tennis with th

As a boy, Charles Rice attended the opening of the Fox Theatre on Peachtree Street (1929). As a man, he played tennis with the legendary Atlanta ace Bitsy Grant.



He met his future wife at UNC; an education major, and future Peace Corp volunteer.



It was not easy making a living in tennis 70 years ago, so he took a job as the tennis pro at the storied Biltmore in Asheville.



Married, with a baby, more stability was needed. He accepted a teaching job in Ohio (1958). Along with his wife, raised two successful children and moved back home to Atlanta 40 years ago.

Divorced in the early 1980s, he found again the rhythm of his native Atlanta — now expanding, booming, looking very different.



He loved to dance with his longtime girlfriend, took up golf, developed a two handicap and totaled five hole-in-ones — the last par 3 ace coming at Bobby Jones in his 80s.



Rice had two sisters. One lived to 95. The other passed away at 101.



“My dad is now blind but he is still mentally sharp," Jane maintains. "Some days are better than others.

“He may now be fading away with his age, as he is quiet and remembering less. He is the last from his generation in Atlanta.”



Rice thanked me for stopping by and gave me another firm handshake. Then he was helped into his light jacket, and into the vehicle for that trip to the dentist.

As Charles Rice welcomed Jeff Hullinger inside the quaint bungalow his parents purchased in the early 1950’s - "shaking my ha

As Charles Rice welcomed Jeff Hullinger inside the bungalow his parents purchased in the early 1950s, "shaking my hand — the living room walls are Mamie Eisenhower pink. A wood television console sits in the corner as though waiting for "Gunsmoke."