After decidedly inauspicious HS years, I pursued college with a bit more alacrity. Upon graduation, I joined Alabama Power Company as a junior accountant. Later I was offered a position with Southern Company; the appeal of Atlanta to a young single man was too powerful a siren song to ignore, and I liked the job as well.

Having satisfied my military obligation, I was about as unobligated as a person can or should be. That all ended when I met the beautiful woman who would become my wife. Fortunately, it was a mutual attraction and Connie and I married in ’73 after a 14-month courtship.

While Connie was an excellent teacher, we decided that she would stay at home when we started a family, so I was motivated to advance my career. Since I frequently worked with attorneys, I decided to pursue a law degree in night school and earned a Juris Doctor, while Connie received her Master’s degree from UGA.

We were blessed with a son, Jeff in ’76, and a daughter, Merrit in ’80, both born in Atlanta.

My career in the succeeding years took us to four states with six organizations, from a VP with MP&L, VP with TVA, the managing director of the Atlanta office of a national consulting firm, SVP Allied Holdings, and lastly president of RBI, the retirement, benefits and relief agency of The Presbyterian Church in America.

Along the way, our children grew into handsome young adults. Jeff was a Tennessee HS football star, All-State Offense & Defense, USA Today ALL American honorable mention, finalist for Tennessee Lineman of the Year, and played in the Tennessee/Kentucky All-Star game. Jeff signed with NC State and started as a sophomore defensive tackle in 1998 against #2 FSU; Jeff was part of the 24-7 upset with a sack of Heisman trophy winner Chris Weinke.

Jeff enjoyed a good football career at NCSU beating Syracuse twice with Donavan McNabb at QB, beating Texas in Austin, and playing Miami in a bowl game (didn't win that one.) Jeff had shoulder surgery as a junior and finished his college career on a medical hardship. Jeff earned his degree from NCSU and now has a web-based exercise and nutrition consulting business based in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Merrit graduated from HS in Atlanta and with six classmates matriculated to UA, where she pledged Kappa Delta and enjoyed her undergrad experience as much as one could possibly enjoy anything, even made Dean’s List. Merrit went on to earn her post graduate degree in Speech Pathology and practices in Atlanta. Merrit is married to Duncan Miller an attorney and partner with Morris Manning. They have twin boys, Colin and Reid, 7 years old and 5-year old, Bobby.

During those working years we engaged ourselves in the church and community. I was a member of Rotary in three states. In Atlanta, I became an ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church in America at Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Recreationally, I enjoyed running and ran 28 Peachtree Road Races plus a marathon in ’78 at Calloway Gardens. One Peachtree was run with my daughter when she was a HS senior and another with my wife a few years later. I ran my last Peachtree in ’03.

In the fourth year of the final and best job of my career, Connie was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. I was granted early retirement by my BOD in ’06, and we moved to the home we had built in ’04 in Sandestin.

Connie passed away on Sunday, April 14, 2013. Despite the unexpected, I have been greatly blessed.

The Lord further blessed me when HS classmate Julie Waterman and I were married on November 21, 2014. We are enjoying married life together in Sandestin with occasional visits to and from our children and grandchildren.