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Central High School (Macon, Georgia)
Encyclopedia
Central High School, also known as Central-Macon, Central-Bibb, and Central Fine Arts and International Baccalaureate Magnet High School is a high school
in Macon, Georgia
, USA, serving students in grades 9
-12
. It is a unit of the Bibb County
Public School System.
, the Bibb County Academy was operated as a public school; a county poor student fund paid the tuition for students unable to pay. In 1870, when Georgia established a true public school system, the Bibb County Board of Education and Orphanage was established to operate a school system for the county. The new board created grammar schools in each ward of the city and "The Central High School." The name was changed to Gresham High in the late 1880s, and the school remained open until 1913. The building later served as Gresham Grammar School.
. The school split in 1924 into separate schools for boys and girls, with the boys moving to a campus on Holt Avenue, and the girls remaining on Forsyth St. In 1949, Lanier added a junior high school on Hendley Street.
In 1932, Bibb County opened A.L. Miller Senior High School for Girls, named for Alexander Lawton Miller, on Montpelier Avenue, blocks from Lanier's Holt campus. The original Forsyth St. campus continued to house a junior high school for girls until February 1950, when Miller Junior High School opened next door to Miller Senior High School.
The Lanier Poets won numerous state athletic titles, and became a basketball powerhouse. The school's JROTC program received national honors.
The year 1958 marked a major change for public education in Bibb County, as Willingham and McEvoy High Schools opened for boys and girls, respectively, meaning that for the first time, white students in Bibb County would be divided by attendance zones.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Bibb County's schools faced a court-ordered integration
. The four schools named Lanier and Miller merged to create the Central High School Complex. This fitted with Bibb County's new pattern of creating high school-middle school complexes with directional names. Other school complexes created by the mergers included Northeast and Southwest
, the latter of which later spun off a new school named Southeast.
In the case of Central, the recently-built Lanier Senior building on Napier became known as "Lanier B", while the Junior High on Hendley was renamed "Lanier A"; the two shared duty as Central High School. The former Miller Junior High School for Girls became Miller A Jr. High, with the old Miller Senior becoming Miller B Jr. High. They were twin junior high schools, both of them housing both 8th and 9th graders, and serving as the feeder schools to Central, which then housed grades ten, eleven, and twelve. In the 1984-85 school year, the ninth grade was moved to the senior high school, and the two junior high schools became Miller Middle School, with the seventh grade (moved up from the elementary schools) housed in one building and the eighth grade housed in the other.
For the early years of Central, about 1970 to 1975, students remained mostly segregated by sex, with the girls at Lanier A and the boys at Lanier B, with each complex retaining the principals of the girls' and boys' schools. Eventually, girls were allowed to take some courses on the boys' campus (such as physics
or German
, courses not taught on the girls' campus). Finally, girls and boys were completely integrated in the courses, although their supervisions (homerooms) remained sex-segregated until 1981. By the 1980s, these vestiges of sex-segregation were completely eliminated. Lanier A ultimately housed mostly ninth-grade supervisions, while the upperclassmen were primarily in Lanier B; this arrangement persisted until Lanier A was torn down in 1997.
]
Following the mergers in 1970, many expressed anger at the outcome; school names, colors, and mascots that had existed for decades were lost and replaced with new, directional names. Lanier ceased to exist.
One development from Bibb County's reorganization of the school district was that the county gained many new private schools. Not all survive, but to this day, Macon has a far larger private school population than similar-sized cities in Georgia (such as Augusta
, Columbus
, or Savannah
).
Central High emerged in 1970 as a new school straddling both sides of Hendley Street. Its sports teams were called the Chargers, and it adopted the colors orange (which, along with green, had been Lanier's), and white (blue was added by Coach Simonton in the early 80s). Both Miller and Central were larger than many middle and high schools at the time (though the Southwest complex was much larger), and faced numerous hardships due to this fact.
program under the guidance of principal Leontine Espy and IB coordinator Elizabeth Hinesley. While the IB program at Central started small, it has grown over the years, and now generally admits 40-60 students as freshmen. Typically, 50-75% of those students remain in the program and sit for examinations at the end of senior year. About half earn the IB diploma while the remainder receive certificates of performance. Both groups often exempt significant college coursework.
Central underwent a major change in 1997 when Westside High
and H.G. Weaver Middle opened on Heath Road in the western portion of the county. Many of the higher-income areas that had been in the Miller/Central zone were moved to the new schools, along with parts of the Southwest zone. Westside immediately became the county's largest high school, and the corresponding decrease in enrollment that had been planned for Central meant that the Lanier A building (dating from 1948) would be demolished and replaced with a new Miller Middle School, closer to Central. The new school opened in the fall of 1997.
Despite the loss of so many students to Westside, the existence of the IB, Fine Arts, and JROTC magnet programs continued to draw many students to Central. At the same time, Miller Middle added a core knowledge/cultural literacy
magnet program, and created a feeder for Central's magnet programs. Just as they had fifty years before, students from anywhere in Bibb County could attend Miller and Central.
and a resulting 1999 SPLOST (special purpose local sales tax), but was never built due to other priorities. An ELOST (educational local option sales tax)
passed in September 2005 and has both a new Central and Southwest listed as priorities, as well as a new high school in north Bibb County attached to the newly-opened Howard Middle School
that is also expected to draw many top students.
On October 30, 2007, a ceremonial groundbreaking was held for the new Central High building, to be constructed on a cleared property across Blackmon Avenue (now closed) from the current location. The new school opened in August 2009 with capacity for 1,000 students in August 2009. The old building was razed and is now a park.http://www.bibb.k12.ga.us/centralgroundbreaking.pdf
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Macon, Georgia
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
, USA, serving students in grades 9
Ninth grade
Ninth grade is the ninth post-kindergarten year of school education in some school systems. The students are 13 to 15 years of age, depending on when their birthday occurs. Depending on the school district, ninth grade is usually the first year of high school....
-12
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
. It is a unit of the Bibb County
Bibb County, Georgia
Bibb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 153,887. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 154,709...
Public School System.
Early history
Before the Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the Bibb County Academy was operated as a public school; a county poor student fund paid the tuition for students unable to pay. In 1870, when Georgia established a true public school system, the Bibb County Board of Education and Orphanage was established to operate a school system for the county. The new board created grammar schools in each ward of the city and "The Central High School." The name was changed to Gresham High in the late 1880s, and the school remained open until 1913. The building later served as Gresham Grammar School.
Lanier and Miller
In 1913, the county opened Lanier High School on Forsyth Street, named for poet and Macon native Sidney LanierSidney Lanier
Sidney Lanier was an American musician and poet.-Biography:Sidney Lanier was born February 3, 1842, in Macon, Georgia, to parents Robert Sampson Lanier and Mary Jane Anderson; he was mostly of English ancestry. His distant French Huguenot ancestors immigrated to England in the 16th century...
. The school split in 1924 into separate schools for boys and girls, with the boys moving to a campus on Holt Avenue, and the girls remaining on Forsyth St. In 1949, Lanier added a junior high school on Hendley Street.
In 1932, Bibb County opened A.L. Miller Senior High School for Girls, named for Alexander Lawton Miller, on Montpelier Avenue, blocks from Lanier's Holt campus. The original Forsyth St. campus continued to house a junior high school for girls until February 1950, when Miller Junior High School opened next door to Miller Senior High School.
The Lanier Poets won numerous state athletic titles, and became a basketball powerhouse. The school's JROTC program received national honors.
The year 1958 marked a major change for public education in Bibb County, as Willingham and McEvoy High Schools opened for boys and girls, respectively, meaning that for the first time, white students in Bibb County would be divided by attendance zones.
Fire and integration
In April 1967, fire destroyed most of the Lanier Senior campus on Holt Avenue. Over the next several years, the school was rebuilt while the Senior and Middle High schools shared the Hendley St. campus. The new building, opened in December, 1968, sat on the former site of Lanier Senior, though it faced Napier Avenue, with side entrances from Holt. Some buildings not destroyed by the fire were incorporated into the new school incudingthe Vocational Building, JROTC Complex, and "Old Gym" portions of Central High School. The last of those buildings was demolished in 2009 to make way for new Central High School buildings.In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Bibb County's schools faced a court-ordered integration
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
. The four schools named Lanier and Miller merged to create the Central High School Complex. This fitted with Bibb County's new pattern of creating high school-middle school complexes with directional names. Other school complexes created by the mergers included Northeast and Southwest
Southwest Magnet High School
Southwest Magnet High School, also known as Southwest-Macon and Southwest Magnet High School and Law Academy, is a high school in Macon, Georgia, serving students in grades 9-12...
, the latter of which later spun off a new school named Southeast.
In the case of Central, the recently-built Lanier Senior building on Napier became known as "Lanier B", while the Junior High on Hendley was renamed "Lanier A"; the two shared duty as Central High School. The former Miller Junior High School for Girls became Miller A Jr. High, with the old Miller Senior becoming Miller B Jr. High. They were twin junior high schools, both of them housing both 8th and 9th graders, and serving as the feeder schools to Central, which then housed grades ten, eleven, and twelve. In the 1984-85 school year, the ninth grade was moved to the senior high school, and the two junior high schools became Miller Middle School, with the seventh grade (moved up from the elementary schools) housed in one building and the eighth grade housed in the other.
For the early years of Central, about 1970 to 1975, students remained mostly segregated by sex, with the girls at Lanier A and the boys at Lanier B, with each complex retaining the principals of the girls' and boys' schools. Eventually, girls were allowed to take some courses on the boys' campus (such as physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
or German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, courses not taught on the girls' campus). Finally, girls and boys were completely integrated in the courses, although their supervisions (homerooms) remained sex-segregated until 1981. By the 1980s, these vestiges of sex-segregation were completely eliminated. Lanier A ultimately housed mostly ninth-grade supervisions, while the upperclassmen were primarily in Lanier B; this arrangement persisted until Lanier A was torn down in 1997.
Following the mergers in 1970, many expressed anger at the outcome; school names, colors, and mascots that had existed for decades were lost and replaced with new, directional names. Lanier ceased to exist.
One development from Bibb County's reorganization of the school district was that the county gained many new private schools. Not all survive, but to this day, Macon has a far larger private school population than similar-sized cities in Georgia (such as Augusta
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
, Columbus
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
, or Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
).
Central High School
1990s and beyond
In 1992, Central began offering courses in preparation for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB) curriculum; the first exams were given in May 1996. The school began the program as a county-wide magnetMagnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
program under the guidance of principal Leontine Espy and IB coordinator Elizabeth Hinesley. While the IB program at Central started small, it has grown over the years, and now generally admits 40-60 students as freshmen. Typically, 50-75% of those students remain in the program and sit for examinations at the end of senior year. About half earn the IB diploma while the remainder receive certificates of performance. Both groups often exempt significant college coursework.
Central underwent a major change in 1997 when Westside High
Westside High School (Macon, Georgia)
Westside High School is a public high school located in Macon, Georgia. Opened in 1997, it is the largest school in the Bibb County school district. They educate students in grades 9-12. Pat Coxsey was the school's principal from Westside's establishment in 1997 until her retirement in 2006....
and H.G. Weaver Middle opened on Heath Road in the western portion of the county. Many of the higher-income areas that had been in the Miller/Central zone were moved to the new schools, along with parts of the Southwest zone. Westside immediately became the county's largest high school, and the corresponding decrease in enrollment that had been planned for Central meant that the Lanier A building (dating from 1948) would be demolished and replaced with a new Miller Middle School, closer to Central. The new school opened in the fall of 1997.
Despite the loss of so many students to Westside, the existence of the IB, Fine Arts, and JROTC magnet programs continued to draw many students to Central. At the same time, Miller Middle added a core knowledge/cultural literacy
Cultural literacy
Cultural literacy is familiarity with and ability to understand the idioms, allusions, and informal content that create and constitute a dominant culture. From being familiar with street signs to knowing historical references to understanding the most recent slang, literacy demands interaction with...
magnet program, and created a feeder for Central's magnet programs. Just as they had fifty years before, students from anywhere in Bibb County could attend Miller and Central.
The present and future
Central continues to draw students from across Bibb County. Enrollment numbers have challenged the limits of the former Lanier B building, which shows signs of its age—it has been scarcely renovated since the late 1960s, and some additional outbuildings date from the original 1920s facility. A new Central, possibly including a controversial merger with Southwest, was proposed in a 1998 bond issueMunicipal bond
A municipal bond is a bond issued by a city or other local government, or their agencies. Potential issuers of municipal bonds includes cities, counties, redevelopment agencies, special-purpose districts, school districts, public utility districts, publicly owned airports and seaports, and any...
and a resulting 1999 SPLOST (special purpose local sales tax), but was never built due to other priorities. An ELOST (educational local option sales tax)
passed in September 2005 and has both a new Central and Southwest listed as priorities, as well as a new high school in north Bibb County attached to the newly-opened Howard Middle School
Howard Middle School (Macon, Georgia)
Howard Middle School is a unit of the Bibb County Public School System, serving sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students. Located on Forsyth Road near the county's north border with Monroe County, the school opened in 2004. It takes its name from the Howard militia district, and later a group of...
that is also expected to draw many top students.
On October 30, 2007, a ceremonial groundbreaking was held for the new Central High building, to be constructed on a cleared property across Blackmon Avenue (now closed) from the current location. The new school opened in August 2009 with capacity for 1,000 students in August 2009. The old building was razed and is now a park.http://www.bibb.k12.ga.us/centralgroundbreaking.pdf
Traditions and accomplishments
- The Central High School Orchestra performs around Macon and also performs annually at the state capital. The orchestra is a perennial "Superior" scorer at Georgia's State Festival; The CHS trio (2005–2008) grew popular around Macon and performed around Georgia and helped to promote the Fine Arts program.
- Central's Sugarbear Band performs at footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
games as well as in concerts, typically receiving superior rankings at festivals across the state; the group has included jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and wind ensemble programs and is often the largest student group on campus - The school's fight songFight songA fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
is "Glory, Glory", in the same arrangement played by the University of GeorgiaUniversity of GeorgiaThe University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
's Redcoat Band. The official alma materAlma materAlma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
is "Hail to Central", an original work written by Dr. Scott C. Tobias, a former teacher at the school, though the band has from time to time played a rewritten version of "Far Above Cayuga's WatersFar Above Cayuga's Waters"Far Above Cayuga's Waters" is Cornell University's alma mater. The lyrics were composed circa 1870 by roommates Archibald Croswell Weeks, 1872, and Wilmot Moses Smith, 1874, and set to the tune of "Annie Lisle", a popular 1857 ballad by H. S. Thompson about a heroine dying of...
", a popular alma mater for many schools - Central usually leads Bibb County in sending students to Georgia's Governor's Honors Program
- Central is well-represented at The Macon Telegraph's "Golden Eagle" Awards, honoring academic and service leaders
- The mock trialMock trialA Mock Trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting of volunteers as role players to test theories or...
team has won twelve consecutive region titles and has thrice been ranked in the final four at state competition and once in the final two at state.
- The academic bowl team has won four varsity state titles in five years
- The academic decathlon team has won two state titles
- The school newspaper, The Central Post, received best-in-state honors for its classification two out of its first four years in existence. In 2007, the Post received the highest score of any newspaper in the state, regardless of classification. Five thousand copies of the paper were circulated through The Macon Telegraph in May 2006 and in December 2007.
Notable alumni
Note: This section also includes noteworthy alumni from Lanier and Miller High Schools, which combined in 1970 to form the present Central High School. See the History sections above for more information.- Chace AmbroseChace AmbroseChace Ambrose is an American actor, screenwriter, and a contributing writer to a middle Georgia based newspaper called The 11th Hour. Ambrose is a native of Macon, Georgia and graduated in 1995 from Central High School. He attended film courses at New York University including one taught by Spike...
, actor (Cutting Room,Psycho Holocaust, Super Tromette Action Movie Go, Terror Overload, Splinter) and screenwriter (Troma Entertainment's Citizen Toxie: The Toxic AvengerThe Toxic AvengerThe Toxic Avenger is a 1984 comedy horror film released by Troma Entertainment, known for producing low budget B-movies with campy concepts. Virtually ignored upon its first release, The Toxic Avenger caught on with filmgoers after a long and successful midnight movie engagement at the famed...
Part IV); news/sports reporter for WGXA-TV FOX 24, - Neil CallawayNeil Callaway-External links:**...
, head football coach of the University of Alabama at BirminghamUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamThe University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public university in Birmingham in the U.S. state of Alabama. Developing from an extension center established in 1936, the institution became an autonomous institution in 1969 and is today one of three institutions in the University of Alabama System...
(UAB) BlazersUAB BlazersThe UAB Blazers are the forest green and old gold-swathed athletic teams at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The school is one of the twelve member institutions of Conference USA and participates in Division I of the NCAA... - Manley Lanier "Sonny" Carter, Jr.Sonny CarterManley Lanier "Sonny" Carter, Jr. was an American physician, professional soccer player, naval officer, and NASA astronaut who flew on STS-33.-Early life:...
, astronautAstronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
and soccer player - Cecil O. De Loach, Jr., winemaker, viticulturalist, founder of De Loach VineyardsDe Loach VineyardsDe Loach Vineyards was started in 1975 by Cecil and Christine De Loach, and was one of the first wineries established in the Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California....
, Sonoma County, CA - Tony GilbertTony GilbertAntonio C. "Tony" Gilbert is a Free Agent American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia...
, University of GeorgiaUniversity of GeorgiaThe University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
and NFL footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player for the Atlanta FalconsAtlanta FalconsThe Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... - Isaac Jackson, Kansas State UniversityKansas State UniversityKansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player - Tom JohnsonTom Johnson (journalist)Wyatt Thomas Johnson is an American journalist and media executive, best known for serving as president of Cable News Network during the 1990s and, before that, as publisher of the Los Angeles Times newspaper...
, former president of CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country.... - Carrie PrestonCarrie PrestonCarrie Preston is an American film and television actress, producer and director. Her husband is actor Michael Emerson, and her brother is actor John G. Preston.-Early life:...
, actress (My Best Friend's WeddingMy Best Friend's WeddingMy Best Friend's Wedding is a 1997 romantic comedy film directed by P. J. Hogan. It stars Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, Dermot Mulroney, Rupert Everett, and Philip Bosco.The film received mostly positive reviews from critics...
, The Legend of Bagger VanceThe Legend of Bagger VanceThe Legend of Bagger Vance is a 2000 American film directed by Robert Redford and starring Will Smith, Matt Damon and Charlize Theron. It is based on the 1995 book of the same title by Steven Pressfield and takes place in the U.S. state of Georgia in 1931...
) - Bernard RamseyBernard RamseyBernard Bruce Ramsey was an executive with Merrill Lynch, a brokerage firm, but is best known for his philanthropic contributions to the University of Georgia....
, Merrill LynchMerrill LynchMerrill Lynch is the wealth management division of Bank of America. With over 15,000 financial advisors and $2.2 trillion in client assets it is the world's largest brokerage. Formerly known as Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., prior to 2009 the firm was publicly owned and traded on the New York...
executive and philanthropistPhilanthropistA philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
; largest single donor to University of GeorgiaUniversity of GeorgiaThe University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States... - J. T. Thomas (defensive back)J. T. Thomas (defensive back)James Thomas Jr. is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers 24th overall in the 1973 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State....
, Florida StateFlorida State Seminoles footballThe Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
and NFL footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player for Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... - Theron SappTheron SappTheron Coleman Sapp, nicknamed Thundering Theron and the Drought-Breaker, is a former American football running back for the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League...
, University of GeorgiaUniversity of GeorgiaThe University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
and NFL footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player - Vernon "Catfish" SmithVernon Smith (football)Vernon "Catfish" Smith was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, coach, and military officer in the United States. A three-sport athlete at the University of Georgia, Smith was named to the 1931 College Football All-America Team as an end...
, an All-AmericaAll-AmericaAn All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n football player at the University of Georgia - General Robert Lee Scott, Jr.Robert Lee Scott, Jr.Robert Lee Scott Jr. was a Brigadier General in the United States Air Force. Scott is best known for his autobiography God is My Co-Pilot about his exploits in World War II with the Flying Tigers and the United States Army Air Forces in China and Burma...
, author of the book God is My Co-Pilot, later made into a film of the same nameGod is My Co-PilotGod Is My Co-Pilot may refer to:*God is My Co-Pilot a book by Gen. Robert Lee Scott Jr., USAF *God is My Co-Pilot a 1945 film based on the above book*God Is My Co-Pilot a band from New York City... - Ronnie ThompsonRonnie Thompson (Georgia politician)Ronald John Thompson, known as Ronnie Thompson or Machine Gun Ronnie' Thompson , is a former Georgia Republican politician who was the first member of his party to have been elected mayor of Macon, the seat of Bibb County in central Georgia. Thompson served two controversial terms from 1967-1975...
, first RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
to have been elected mayorMayorIn many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Macon; served from 1967–1975; also a gospel singer - Phil WaldenPhil WaldenPhil Walden was co-founder of the Macon, Georgia-based Capricorn Records with his younger brother Alan Walden and a good friend and former Atlantic Records executive, Frank Fenter....
, founder of Capricorn RecordsCapricorn RecordsCapricorn Records was an independent record label which was launched by Phil Walden, Alan Walden, and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia.-First Incarnation:...
and manager of The Allman Brothers BandThe Allman Brothers BandThe Allman Brothers Band is an American rock/blues band once based in Macon, Georgia. The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman and Gregg Allman , who were supported by Dickey Betts , Berry Oakley , Butch Trucks , and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe"... - Alan WaldenAlan WaldenAlan Walden was born May 23, 1943 in Macon, Georgia to C.B. and Carolyn Walden. He is an American manager, publisher, booking agent, and promoter....
, founder of Capricorn RecordsCapricorn RecordsCapricorn Records was an independent record label which was launched by Phil Walden, Alan Walden, and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia.-First Incarnation:...
and former manager of Lynyrd SkynyrdLynyrd SkynyrdLynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
and Outlaws - John Morrison BirchJohn Birch (missionary)John Morrison Birch was an American military intelligence officer and a Baptist missionary in World War II who was shot by armed supporters of the Communist Party of China. Some politically conservative groups in the United States consider him to be a martyr and the first victim of the Cold War...
, a missionary considered by some to be the first victim of the Cold WarCold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
; the conservative John Birch SocietyJohn Birch SocietyThe John Birch Society is an American political advocacy group that supports anti-communism, limited government, a Constitutional Republic and personal freedom. It has been described as radical right-wing....
, formed 13 years after his death, is named in his honor - Samaria (Mitcham) BaileySamaria (Mitcham) BaileySamaria Bailey in Macon, Georgia was an instrumental figure in the civil rights movement. She was one of the first American females of African descent to be accepted into Mercer University and the first American female of African descent to integrate A. L. Miller Senior High School, an all...
, first American female of African descent to attend the school went on to be an entrepreneur; CEO of Med Tech Services, Inc. - David Logan Hunt, possibly the greatest Skyrim player of all time - his character Reemus The Mountain 'Brotha' went on to become acting leader of the Thieves Guild where not even the evil Josh Crumpton or Bastid could bother him with his uncanny ability to pickpocket the denizens of Skyrim