Column: Famous and less famous, these people made up a small part of the Gainesville community

Since the city was officially founded 200 years ago, thousands of Gaines villas have left their mark in one way or another.

Obviously there are too many to mention. Here are just a few who helped create memories for the rest of us.

Tommy Aaron is one of only 70 Masters Golf Tournament winners among thousands of professional golfers. Remarkable in itself, Tommy grew up in Gainesville, where there was no small golf course and only a handful of people played. At that time he was the only one in his age group who picked up the rackets.

Many other Gainesville athletes played college sports, some of whom became professionals. These included Billy Martin and Billy Lothridge who played at Gainesville High School and Georgia Tech before moving to the pros, quarterbacks Preston Ridlehuber and Deshaun Watson, baseball pitcher Cris Carpenter, catcher Jody Davis, Riverside Military graduate Bucky Curtis, an all-American passport holder at Vanderbilt, Tommy West, Mike “Moonpie” Wilson, and all-round athlete Jack Roberts, to name a few.

Tom Paris Sr. and Tom Paris Jr. played soccer at the University of Georgia.

The Banks family have been prominent in Gainesville history in many ways, starting with Dr. Richard Banks. Cherokee Indians, a well-known doctor, waited in the courtyard of his home for his medical treatment. Dr. Banks, after whom Banks County is named, restored the eyesight of many blind people and made advances in the treatment of smallpox.

HWJ Ham was such an eloquent speaker that his reputation spread nationwide. The popular, witty orator was so popular that he was constantly on the move, so badly that it was bad for his health, and he died in 1907 at the age of 57. He had also appeared as the editor of the Georgia Cracker and Gainesville Eagle, in turns.

While in Gainesville, Ed Dodd, a nature lover, turned his eye for art into cartoons and eventually syndicated the Mark Trail comic strip nationally. He worked with another Gainesville artist, Jack Elrod, who eventually took over the strip, and was followed by a third Gainesville artist, James Allen. Mark Trail is still appearing in newspapers across the country with its fourth artist.

Malcolm “Mike” Johnson, a 1922 Gainesville High School graduate, cut his journalistic teeth in the school paper. He was a correspondent for New York newspapers during World War II and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1948 for his series “Crime on the Waterfront”. His son Haynes Johnson also won a Pulitzer Prize and was a frequent TV news guest.

At least two others with Gainesville affiliates won Pulitzer Awards. Michael duCille, another Gainesville High School graduate, won two photography awards for the Miami Herald and the Washington Post. He started out as a photographer for The Times while he was still in high school. Another former Times news anchor, Deborah Blum, won a Pulitzer script for the Sacramento Bee.

Then there are those who have never achieved national recognition but are such a part of the fabric of the community that they deserve a mention.

The late Bimbo Brewer was a popular character who seemed to know everyone in northern Georgia. He touched many lives with his eternal optimism and wit and wore many hats as a journalist, police officer, athlete and fan and volunteer.

Possum Bailey was a unique employee of the City of Gainesville. He had a humble job helping clean the city streets. But he did it with devotion and was an endearing familiar sight, pushing his cart, usually wearing a crumpled felt hat, overalls, and denim jacket.

The Old Soldier, as people called him, wasn’t a Gainesvillian, but the locals knew him as the man who wore a World War I uniform and walked around town, often on the Atlanta Highway. His name was Luther Cleghorn, who sang in the choir of what was then Blackshear Place Baptist Church.

Then there was Pledger Strayhorn, one of the friendliest Gainesvillians of all time. He went everywhere unless someone offered him a lift. He instinctively waved to everyone as he passed them. Pledger’s calling was casual and gardening work for the many residents who fondly remember him. The community was sad when he was hit by a car while walking down the street.

While this is not an exhaustive list, these are examples of the famous and less famous who make a community what it is.

Johnny Vardeman is retired Editor-in-Chief of The Times. He can be reached at 2183 Pine Tree Circle NE, Gainesville, GA 30501; 770-532-2326; or johnnyvardeman@gmail.com. His column appears weekly.

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