More than 45 years ago, intown neighbors banded together against Atlanta development and found a hero: Atlanta City Councilman John Lewis for the save.

The Rabun County of 1972 is long gone, supplanted by luxury homes, expensive SUVs, fancy boats, sophisticated dining and stylish Orvis outdoor wear—still Deliverance resonates through the woods and rapids.

Using an ancient key, opening an old wooden door, revealing secret steps, Jeff Hullinger and the Mary T. Willis Library Director ascend a creaky set of staircases cloaked in spider webs. Past stacks of 115-year-old National Geographic magazines and a 160-year-old hardback detailing the science of growing Georgia cotton, guess what's still there?

'Twas days before Christmas, and tucked in the offices across from the state capitol was a goat for a little girl whose father just happened to be best friends with the governor.

Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird" has become a classic of modern American literature, winning the Pulitzer Prize. The plot and characters are loosely based on Lee's observations of her family, her neighbors and an event that occurred near her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama. In 2006, British librarians ranked the book ahead of the Bible as one "every adult should read before they die." If you haven't, perhaps this past week's anniversary is occasion to make a trip to Chamblee.

Forty-five years ago, a young Atlanta architect named Ron Hadaway was assigned the unenviable task of renovating a residence inside a delicate Midtown dazzler - The Villa, Ansley Park. His first move: Find Philip Trammell Shutze’s phone number. Ask for an audience.

There are so many stories of the ferocious, incomparable, unpredictable Dickey Betts - but where to begin? 

"April 4, 1977 - The Worst Aircraft Disaster in Georgia History," reads the marker in New Hope, Georgia.

Bobby Jones' footprints can be found all over his native Atlanta, Druid Hills, East Lake, Emory University, Georgia Tech and Buckhead.

Stories of the co-founder of Augusta National and the Masters' remarkable life in Georgia are the stuff of legend. All of us who love our state, Atlanta, golf and history know chapters. But here is a story I'll bet you’ve never heard.

As we celebrate the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the immortal Hank Aaron breaking the mythical home run mark of Babe Ruth on a chilly Atlanta night, the historic moment gives pause. And an opportunity for Georgia's veteran broadcaster Jeff Hullinger, to reflect.

It’s been more than 60 years since the poet laureate Robert Frost made his last visit to Agnes Scott College, but in 2024, his Decatur campus footprints are still fresh, those who heard him will never forget the words and voice of Robert Frost. 

"Over the last 40 years, I’ve seen scraggly wildlife in this urban zip code, but never creatures of this size - in robust health. I posted the photo on my Facebook page, and the big city wildlife received a spirited response."

While visiting Warm Springs, residing inside the Little White House, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt pined for a new muscle car. FDR loved Fords.

"I never thought 40 or 50 years later, I would still be talking about this event and my role in it."

 

The Odd Fellows Building was suggested by Black newspaper editor Benjamin J. Davis (1870-1945), designed by white Atlanta architect William A. Edwards (1866-1939) and built by Robert E. Pharrow, owner of an African-American construction company. Despite the Jim Crow era, the two men, Black and white, worked side by side toward completing the structure. 

“This building is really an upscale fortress,” noted Dr. Stuart Noel, Director of the Reid House HOA Board. “If you were to pick the most famous Atlanta names past and present, many have called Reid House home.” Alston, Candler, Dewberry, Dorsey, Inman, Lanier and Woodruff — a residents' roll call. 

In his storied career, he amassed 12 state titles — nine at Southwest DeKalb, three with Gordon High School — and an induction into the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame. "He defined track and field around here.”

Hailed by the New York Times as the “leader of a new generation of opera stars,” and christened “opera’s nose-studded rock star,” Rome, Georgia's Mezzo-Soprano Jamie Barton has blown off the stodgy opera dust of a few centuries. 

“The NFL owners always feel the pressure. The stakes are high. People are always second-guessing about hiring coaches. That will never change.”

Remembering Marilyn Somers and Lamar Alton Willis.