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Viewfinder: Southwest Atlanta's "Elite," Let Us Count the Ways

Dare we use the word "elite?" We're all elite, if we believe it and achieve it. Here are some heroes—sung and unsung—who have made their mark on southwest Atlanta.

By Janita Poe and Patch Staff
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March 24, 2011

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Are these men dapper or what? Many are from southwest Atlanta or Morehouse College grads; all are celebrated as the school's 2011 "Candle and Bennie Group." They are: Frank Robinson, MLB Hall of Famer and first African American MLB Manager, Lifetime Achievement in Athletics; William Jackson ’56, scientist/educator, Bennie Trailblazer Award; Harry Wright ’53, minister, Candle in Religion; Curley Dossman ’73, President, Georgia Pacific Foundation, Bennie Service Award; Robert M. Franklin ‘75, Morehouse College President; Ronald Davenport, Founder, Sheridan Broadcasting Corp., Candle in Journalism; Morgan Freeman, Academy Award-winning actor, Candle for Lifetime Achievement in Arts and Entertainment; Dr. Melvin Gerald ’64, physician, Bennie Achievement Award; Donald V. Watkins, entrepreneur/attorney, Candle in Business and Law.

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Since the 1960s, baseball icon Henry Aaron has lived in the Cascade Heights community. He's been a neighbor and friend to many. In 2010, Aaron was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Copperstown, N.Y.

Credit Getty Images

Maynard Jackson, who would have turned 73 March 23, 2011, became the first African-American mayor of a major southern city when he was elected in 1973. In this photo, Jackson presides over the Bump and Funky Butt dancers in a Piedmont Park's pavilion. Many long-time southwest Atlantans remember Jackson and his family as neighbors on Oakcrest Drive, in the Mangum Manor subdivision of Cascade Heights.

Credit Courtesy, Brooke Jackson Edmond

Talk about "elite." Elisabeth Williams-Omilami fights the good fight every day as director of Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless, 1035 Donnelly Ave., the acclaimed Historic West End grassroots organization started by her father, civil rights legend Hosea Williams. Don't forget those donations of time and/or money. More information under "How You Can Help!" on www.hoseafeedthehungry.com.

Credit Janita Poe

For two-and-a-half hours each day after school, and three hours on Saturdays, members of the elite City of Altanta Dolphins Swim Team gather at the Adamsville Natatorium on Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive for an intense practice session. The competitors work on a variety of techniques with target goals for improved lap times during meets. Pictured here are members of the 13-and-older team.
“We have very talented kids and some of them have great potential," said head coach Tommy Jackson in a January Cascade Patch story on the swimmers. "The main goal is to get them to college. Anything that happens after that is the icing on the cake."

Credit Rory Sharrock

A living Historic West End legend, artist, illustrator James Malone began showing promise in art classes while a student at Booker T. Washington High School during the mid 1940s.Malone’s work became popularized when, in the 1960s, he found work as a commercial artist for Federated Department Stores, Kmart International and Montgomery Ward. He also became the first African-American commercial illustrator ever in the Detroit area, and one of the first in the country. His work was groundbreaking. Over the years Malone’s body of work has grown to include more than 1,000 paintings.

Credit Deronte' Smith

Are these men dapper or what? Many are from southwest Atlanta or Morehouse College grads; all are celebrated as the school's 2011 "Candle and Bennie Group." They are: Frank Robinson, MLB Hall of Famer and first African American MLB Manager, Lifetime Achievement in Athletics; William Jackson ’56, scientist/educator, Bennie Trailblazer Award; Harry Wright ’53, minister, Candle in Religion; Curley Dossman ’73, President, Georgia Pacific Foundation, Bennie Service Award;
Robert M. Franklin ‘75, Morehouse College President; Ronald Davenport, Founder, Sheridan Broadcasting Corp., Candle in Journalism; Morgan Freeman, Academy Award-winning actor, Candle for Lifetime Achievement in Arts and Entertainment; Dr. Melvin Gerald ’64, physician, Bennie Achievement Award; Donald V. Watkins, entrepreneur/attorney, Candle in Business and Law.

Credit Janita Poe

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There are many ways to define the word "elite," both obvious and unconvential. When members of the world's African diaspora think of the word "elite," Atlanta, Ga., and, more specifically, the greater Cascade area, are among places that come to mind.

Indeed, southwest Atlanta has a unique history as one of the world's most affluent predominantly black communities.

But the people who make this community "great" are not just the wealthy and powerful. They come from—and serve—all walks of life.

This week, Cascade Patch decided to take a look at just a few of the many "elite" people in our community.

Some won't surprise you. Others, maybe, will. But all are elite in their fields and achievements and all are part of our wonderful community.

About this column: News from Cascade Patch, presented visually.

We only scratched the surface today. Who else do you consider "elite" and making a different in southwest Atlanta? Tell us in the comments.