MONROE’S “MOVER’S & SHAKER’S”

WHO MADE OUR CITY SPECIAL

Monroe, Georgia has always been a progressive city thanks to the foresight, planning and pure love of many people who were instrumental in the development of our small town. Appreciation goes out to both the women and men whose vision in many areas developed our town in the early years.

The men are mentioned first as they had the most prominent roles in Monroe’s business and civic affairs and the ladies, who were just as important, had roles in hosting social affairs or being involved with cultural affairs which helped reflect their  husband’s roles in what occurred in town or in the homes of those mentioned.

Our  journey to see who “moved & shook” our city fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty years or a hundred years or more begins with:

George Cowan Selman was the grandfather of Flonny Carrollton, Connie Eckles and Tuter Boswell.  George Selman married Mary Virginia Briscoe, whose father Waters, built what is now known Briscoe/Selman/Pollock/Williams home on McDaniel Street.  George Selman, being orphaned in 1837 at the age of 13 became a self-made man.  He worked for a wholesale house in Charleston, SC at the age of 30 and when the Civil War broke out he returned to Monroe and was elected to the legislature. At the war’s end he returned to his old job where he was made manager of the company’s New York office where he stayed until 1877 when ill health forced his return to Monroe to lead a “rural life” where he began buying up large tracts of land in the county.  As there were no banks in Walton County at the time, he assisted farmers and his friends by lending them money.  At one point in his life, Mr. Selman owned over 6,000 acres in Walton County.  His shrewd business judgement won him credit for much of the county’s growth and success.  At one point he was known as “The Founder of Monroe’s Industrial Progress.”  He was one of the founders and first president of the Bank of Monroe and also founded the Monroe Guano Company, later known as the Monroe Oil & Fertilizer Co. and served as its first president.  It was also by his financial backing he helped found The Monroe Cotton Mills which was chartered in August 1895 and began operation in 1896.  That same year his enthusiastic business accomplishments drained his health and after a brief stay at a hospital in Sulphur Springs, Virginia, he returned to his beloved ante-bellum home and died there on September, 24, 1899.

One of George Selman’s daughters, Eva, married an English professor at Mercer University, Dr. Pickney Daniel Pollock in 1895, who later became president of the university in 1897.  They were parents of one son, Daniel Marshall Pollock.  Dr. Pollock was one of three Monroe men who had the prestige of being President of Mercer University.  Dr. Gustavus Alonzo Nunnally was president from 1889 to 1893 and Dr. Rufus Carrollton Harris, who was president of Tulane University from 1937 to 1960, came back to his alma mater in 1960 and held one of, at the time, the longest tenures as the school’s president, from 1960 to 1980 and then became the school’s chancellor.

Dr. Pollock’s son, Marshall, graduated from the University of Georgia with a law degree in 1923 and was moderator of the Appalachee Association, a post previously held by his grandfather, George Selman. 

Marshall was a former mayor of Monroe, and practiced law from 1942 until 1964 when he was appointed Solicitor General of the Western Judicial Circuit.  He was a founding member of the Walton Electric Membership Corporation, serving as president.

Another man who was certainly a well-known mover & shaker in Monroe was former Governor Clifford M. Walker.  He was the son of the late Billington Sanders and Alice Mitchell Walker and was born in Monroe July 4, 1877.  He received his early education at Johnston Institute and Georgia Military Institute.  He received his law degree from the University of Georgia and was associated with the late R. L. Cox Law Office and was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1898.

Clifford Walker served as Mayor of Monroe where he was recognized for his qualifications as a director of public affairs.  He formed a law partnership with the late Orrin Roberts where the firm enjoyed a distinguished reputation in law until he ran for the office of governor in 1920 but lost by four votes.  In 1922 he defeated Thomas Hardwick and held the office of governor until 1927.  In 1937 Mr. Walker and Joseph Kilbride founded the Woodrow Wilson School of Law in Atlanta with Mr. Walker serving as its first president.  In 1950 Governor and Mrs. Walker’s generosity made possible the beautiful park across the street from the First Baptist Church and was dedicated to the memory of their son, Sanders, who died in 1944.

Another of Monroe’s early notable men was Thomas Giles, who was one of Monroe’s ordinaries, serving from 1872 to 1899.  Mr. Giles is a relative of Gene Kelly, on his father’s side of the family.  It has been said that Mr. Giles’ greatest accomplishment was seeing to the completion of the old historic courthouse, a dream made possible from years of thrift and careful planning.  When the courthouse was finished, many of the townsfolk referred to it as “Judge Giles’ Courthouse.”  He laid into the cornerstone for the courthouse the specifications of the county’s first courthouse along with a copy of Monroe’s first newspaper, “The Southern Witness,” and Georgia Treasury Notes and the Constitution of the Confederate States of America.  Thomas Giles was one of Monroe’s strongest and staunchest supporters in the belief of the city’s growth and prosperity.  He bequeathed land and money to help create the Fifth District A & M School at Walker Park.  He founded the Giles Educational Fund to help local boys in attending school.  He also was requested in 1884 to be chairman of the committee to build a new jailhouse.  The death on January 23, 1917 of Thomas Giles took from the city one of its most valuable and useful citizens.

A later gentleman who was considered Monroe’s most avid promoter of Monroe and Walton County was John Lescar McGarity.

J. L. “Mac” McGarity was not only a great businessman and owner of the McGarity Ford dealership in town, but had a great love and appreciation for his city.  In 1954 he was named manager of the Monroe-Walton Chamber of Commerce and president of the organization which he held until ill health forced him to step down in 1956.  In 1955 two honors were bestowed upon him.  An article appearing in the January19, 1955 issue of the Atlanta Journal carried the heading, “He Knows How to Sell Monroe”, which told about his abiding love for his city and the lengths he went to in bringing new businesses to town.  Another honor came to him that same year when the Monroe Rotary Club named him “Man of the Year” in recognition for his unique service to the Monroe community.

After the death of Mr. McGarity in 1957, his son, Caldwell McGarity, a former mayor of Monroe, established through the Walton County Chamber of Commerce the annual J. L. McGarity Citizenship Award, to recognize those Monroe folk who displayed an unwavering dedication and love of helping promote their city.

Speaking of mayors of Monroe, the city back in the day had some of the most influential, most devoted and best loved men hold office, some of them serving two terms because of the respect and appreciation the townsfolk had for these men. 

The youngest man to serve in this capacity was Paul M. Felker, who held the office when he was only 21 years of age.

Two men who served their city for two terms were Jake Launius and Ed Almand, Jr.  Jake served from 1939 to 1942 and Ed’s tenure followed Jake’s from 1942 to 1946.

In researching the men who served Monroe as mayor I found an interesting tidbit: five of the men who carried the title of mayor all lived in close proximity of each other on Walton Street or Walton Circle.  Those men were: Booth Williams, Paul Felker, Eugene Kelly, Jake Launius and Caldwell McGarity.  Closely situated off Walton Street lived Ed Almand on Jackson Street.

It is often said that the heart of any small town is its newspaper who keeps the citizens informed on just about every phase of life.  Back in the day Monroe had two newspapers, the oldest being The Walton News which began in 1880 and was later owned and operated by the late Edward A. Caldwell.  The other one certainly needs no introduction as it is still with us and that is the Walton Tribune.  The Walton Tribune was founded in 1900 by Ernest Camp whose family rand the business until 1976 when it was sold out of the family.

Both Mr. Caldwell and Mr. Camp were highly loved and esteemed and both were eloquent wordsmiths in their own rights. Besides Mr. Camp being editor of the paper he was an acknowledged poet who published several volumes of prose and verse.  Both Mr. Camp and Mr. Caldwell always had an “open door policy” where friends could come and go and this is how much of the news back in those days got into print.  Mr. Camp was much more refined than Mr. Caldwell who, being a bit more “earthy”, considered himself a preacher along with being a newsman.  It has been said that when Mr. Caldwell presided at a funeral he would get the audience so stirred up you would have thought they were at a revival meeting, so great were the words and declaration’s Mr. Caldwell proclaimed. The story goes that when Mr. Caldwell was nearing the end of his life a family member asked him who he wanted to preach his funeral.  Raising himself with great effort from his bed, he said: “I don’t need a preacher saying words over my body, I have my own eulogy written out and if I cannot get myself into Heaven with my words, no one else can either!”

There were three men back in the day who were the ones who looked after Monroe from a financial standpoint, George W. Felker, Jr. and Harry & Paul Launius.   It was George Felker and Roy Nunnally, who back in 1948 purchased the old Coleman Mobley homeplace on South Broad Street and with the help of others they built the new Methodist Church at 400 South Broad Street.  Roy Nunnally, owner of Nunnally Lumber Company, provided all the necessary materials to build the beautiful church which was formally occupied in 1950 and as fate would have it, his funeral was the first to be held in the church sanctuary.

George W. Felker, Jr. was one of Monroe’s most beloved businessmen. Growing up in Monroe and graduating from the local schools, he completed his education at Eastman Business School in Poughkeepsie, New York and returned to Monroe in 1906 to assist his father in his private banking business which his grandfather & uncle began.  In 1922 Mr. Felker became a director of the Walton Cotton Mill Company, a position he held until his death.  In 1933 he became chairman of the board of the Walton Mill following the death of Edgar S. Tichenor.  He also served as a director of the Farmer’s Bank.

Like his friend Harry Launius, George Felker could always be counted on to help in any financial way to help promote the city in many of its cultural, business or civic demands, which was always done in a quiet, modest and dignified way.

Harry & Paul Launius saw to the needs of many of the downtown projects back in the day and like George Selman, were large land owners responsible for the formation of several of Monroe’s residential sections.  It was through the generosity of Harry Launius and his wife Sally that the General Charitable Foundation was formed back in the late 50’s.  Today it is known as the Walton Foundation. Another of Mr. Launius’ generous contributions to the city was the building on North Broad Street, St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, along with the donation of the beautiful limestone Celtic Cross.

Back in the day, when the living was easy, and the social life was much more active than today, there were several venues available in which to hold meetings of any sort.  We had the Hotel Monroe, The Greer House and the not so well known Hester House on Highland Avenue.  These were the days before the advent of the American Legion hall on Alcovy Street.  These venues held Kiwanis & Rotary Club meetings along with bridge club meetings when there were more than two or three tables of bridge or bridge luncheons being held.

The owners of the Greer House, “Miss Bessie” and Joe C. Greer, had a son, Michael, who brought fame and honor to his hometown by being one of the biggest names in the field of interior design.  One of his very earliest decorating jobs in Monroe was for his aunt, Mrs. Gladys Stowers.  He had his own interior design firm on Fifth Avenue in New York, Michael Greer Interiors.  One of his many achievements in interior design was being asked to decorate two rooms in the White House.

Another gentleman who loved his town and was a great proponent of bringing folks together in various ways was Robert L. (Bob) Nowell, Jr., son of the late R. L. and Alma Hill Nowell.

Bob was a 1920 graduate of the University of Georgia and during his tenure there he excelled as an athlete playing baseball and football.  Receiving his A.B. Degree he worked in the advertising field in Atlanta for two years, returning to Monroe in 1922 where he purchased the old Idlehour Theater which he ran for several years before joining forces with Henry McDaniel Tichenor and built the Cherokee Theater.  In 1926 he entered the insurance business with a neighbor, Harry Ray until Mr. Ray sold his interest to Archie Preston who then sold his interest to Felker Lewis. Up until his death, the insurance firm of Nowell-Lewis was well-known throughout Monroe and Walton County.

Bob was the first president of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, had membership in the Kiwanis & Rotary clubs and gave freely of his time to the youth of Monroe to see they had proper venues in which to play baseball & football and other activities.  After his death in 1956, the old National Guard armory on Spring Street was renamed the Nowell Recreation Center in honor of all the efforts he put forth for the youth of our town.

The social scene back then was not the plethora of activities to captivate our minds as we have today.  Life was very simple back then.  We had a movie theater in town, drug stores with soda fountains to enjoy a cold beverage or a banana split and there were Sunday dinners held at the Hotel Monroe or the Greer House.  The social activities for men included fishing, hunting and golf and, once a year, there was held at the Greer House the annual “Chitlin’ Supper” hosted either by Ernest Camp or Ed Caldwell.  And with such a meal I know for a fact that there was a “bit” of drinking consumed because the way I look at it, one would HAVE to be a bit tipsy to indulge in the food consumed at that gathering!  The women had literary clubs to enrich their cultural intellect and then there was bridge!  Those Monroe ladies LOVED to play bridge!  The reason I know was because my mother was a member of a bridge club formed in the early 30’s called, “The Young Matrons Bridge Club.”  There was also a bridge club called, “The Night Bridge Club”, where couples would meet weekly at various members homes for dinner and games of bridge.

As we turn now to the ladies of the town who made significant contributions of note, the first person is Anita Butts Sams, who gave us our county history, “Wayfarers in Walton”.  On those occasions I have  to leaf through my copy of her book and believe me that is one of the most utilized books in my library, I often wonder if Anita had any inkling of just how popular her book would become and how often it is referred to.  Being the consummate newspaper woman she was, she had a long tenure at the Walton Tribune even back when she was in journalism school at Georgia, it is mind-boggling how many thousands of hours she put into the making of this history.  I can say with all sincerity, only she could have done it because of the love she had for her town and county along with her love of historic journalism.

One lady whose tenure in Monroe was only sixteen years but the impact she made for the hundreds of Monroe children she taught continues to this day to be talked about and remembered.  Nell Denton Mashburn taught what we referred to as “Speech Classes” outside the normal classroom setting.  I have written several columns on Nell and the influence still felt and appreciated by those students who had the opportunity to “sit at her feet and soak up the knowledge she passed along.  I will always remember with love and appreciation the many doors she opened to me giving glimpses into the world waiting outside the town of Monroe and beyond through her many lessons of literary, social and cultural education.

Emily Tichenor was a quiet, elegant lady whose early focus it was in preserving certain of Monroe’s landmarks also helped her friend Anita Sams in providing funding to publish the book, “With Unabated Trust”, a collection of Civil War letters of Henry D. McDaniel, former governor of Georgia and grandfather of Emily’s husband, Henry. Emily was also instrumental in the funding of Anita Sams’ county history. She was a friend of Sally & Harry Launius and an early trustee of the General Charitable Foundation along with memberships in the Walton County Historical Society and the Walton County Library. It was through her generous efforts that the McDaniel Tichenor House was placed on the National Historic Register and in her will gave the house to the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. This historic house is now used for public and private events.

Another civic minded lady whose contributions in the field of health led to the beginnings of Monroe’s first hospital was Allie Felker Nunnally, wife of J. Roy Nunnally.

“Miss Allie” was one of the first individuals to sense the county’s need for a hospital and worked long hours to bring this dream into a reality along with helping keep it financially secure in the very early days.  She saw an early need for girls to have an outlet for learning and the outdoors and together with Cookie Sanders and Dorothy Nowell she helped organize the county’s first Girl Scout Troop.  She even built a cabin in the woods of her Walton Street home for the group to have meetings as her daughter, Knoxie, was an early member of the group.

Mrs. Nunnally was an early newspaper woman, being a chronicler of the social news for the Walton News for many years.

The last two ladies I want to mention but certainly not the least of whom deserve merit are Dorothy Nowell, wife of the earlier mentioned Bob Nowell and Kate Stewart, wife of Dr. Philip R. Stewart.

Dorothy Nowell came to Monroe as the bride of Bob Nowell in 1926, soon after their marriage in San Antonio, Texas, where Dorothy grew up. Dorothy McCampbell was on an early visit to Monroe to visit her aunt, Mrs. Frances Knox, wife of Colonel James Knox, one of Mornoe’s premiere attorneys. Col. & Mrs. Knox introduced their friend Bob Nowell to Miss McCampbell and the fireworks flew.  They were married in San Antonio, Texas on December 7, 1926. 

Coming to Monroe as a young bride, Dorothy Nowell quickly became a member of Monroe’s social set and became involved with everything she had interests in.  Dorothy loved to entertain and once they moved into their new home on Walton Street it quickly became one of the social gathering places.  Whether it be for bridge or canasta clubs, garden club meetings, dinners celebrating special events, seasonal events or Girl Scout meetings, the Nowell house was always abuzz with something going on.

I want to pass along two illustrations of what I mean by that statement.

Starting back in the late 40’s, every fall Dorothy and Bob would host a morning coffee prior to the Georgia-Georgia Tech games.  Both sides of Walton Street would be lined with the guests who attended this much looked forward to event.  The dining table would be set with coffee, tea and delicious pastries coming from either the kitchen of Louelle Conyers or Dorothy herself.  Football enthusiasts of both teams would congregate that morning to swap football tales, true or imagined, and all shared in the excitement of the approaching events.  This became an annual tradition even after Bob’s death which lasted into the late sixties.

Another favorite memory of Dorothy and Bob centered around Christmas.  Each year around the middle of the month, you would suddenly see Santa Claus relaxing on the front porch swing complete with his big bag of toys.  You knew it was getting close to Christmas when you saw Santa at the Nowell’s house.

Thanks to daughter Lee, I learned the secret of how their Santa came to be.  Returning from one of her trips to Texas, Dorothy brought a Santa head pinnata for Lee’s birthday.  Most folks in town had never seen one of these before.  Lee kept the pinnata and when Christmas rolled around an idea formed in Dorothy’s mind.  She took the Santa head, attached it to a broom handle, put an old red coat on it with tan pants and stuffed old blankets inside the coat and pants.  Next came high top black books and belt.  With a bit of ingenuity Dorothy created Santa Claus.  He was placed on the swing with a big canvas bag filled with paper and had a spotlight shining on him for folks to see from the street.  Such was Dorothy’s talent.

It was Dorothy & Cookie Sanders along with Mrs. Allie Nunnally who helped create, organize and fund the Girl Scout chapter in Monroe.  Besides their weekly meetings a week-long camp was created at Lake Rutledge.  Dorothy’s daughter, Lee Radford, remembered quite a few of the Monroe ladies who were happily volunteered to aid the girls at their annual summer week long tenures at Rutledge. Blanche Sherlock was in charge of arts and crafts, Dot Wright was in charge of swimming and waterfront activities, Dorothy Nowell had charge of the nature activities, Sue Morgan ran the canteen, Kate Stewart was the nurse and Mamie Williamson was in charge of the dining hall and meals.

Dorothy was passionate about flowers and gardening and her home reflected the beauty of the creations she made for so many of the social events at her home.  She was a certified judge at many flower shows and was a member of the local garden clubs in Monroe.  She was chairman of the Monroe library board, and during the war served as chairman of the county rationing board. She was president of the WSCS of the Methodist Church, on the alter guild, a member of the Katie Caldwell Sunday School Class and was a long-time member of the Gray Lady group at the Walton County Hospital. It always amazed me how Dorothy managed to so busy with so many obligations but she was in her element and did things with elegance and ease. On an added note, it was Dorothy’s mother, Mrs. J. Boyd McCampbell, who wrote one of the earliest histories of the Poinsettia flower, so we know where Dorothy’s love of plants and flowers came from.

The last lady I want to recognize was one of my Walton Circle neighbors, Kate Stewart, wife of Dr. Phil Stewart, one of Monroe’s most beloved physicians.

Kate Harris of Atlanta married Dr. Philip R. Stewart on November 23, 1932 in Atlanta.  At the time of their marriage Kate was a secretary for the Lee Street Elementary School.  Dr. Stewart was already in practice here in town and was residing at the Hotel Monroe until Kate finished her school year and then moved to town.

When Kate arrived in 1933, she quickly became involved in all the various social & cultural aspects which interested her.  She was an early member of the “Young Matron’s Bridge Club, and was a member of the Methodist WSCS and an early president of the Monroe Junior Service League.  After son Julian and daughter Louie became of school age, Kate became president of the Monroe Parent Teacher Association of the Monroe Schools.  During her tenure as Junior Service League President, the organization raised enough money to equip the nursery at the Walton County Hospital.

Being the wife of a doctor it was only natural she would volunteer as a Gray Lady at the hospital and often times would serve as her husband’s “in home nurse” when patients would arrive at their doorstep in need of medical assistance. 

When their house on Walton Circle was completed and they moved in during 1938, it quickly became the scene of many church meetings, bridge club, garden club and various other civic and cultural meetings. Kate loved people and her charming & witty personality endeared her to a large group in both the Monroe and Atlanta areas.  Kate could throw together some of the most unique and interesting parties of anyone with only a short span of notice many of which are mentioned in the Tribune articles I have in my Monroe notebooks.

Aside from the talents mentioned above, Kate was a superb artist.  In the living room of the Walton Circle home hung a beautiful portrait she painted of daughter Louie at aged 13 seated on a Victorian love seat.  For many years at Christmas Kate’s talent was viewed by hundreds with the hand crafted and hand painted wooden depictions of the Three Wise Men, the Manger Scene and caroler’s displayed on the front lawn of her home.

When my mother was pregnant with my sister in March, 1936 prior to my sister’s April birth, Kate hosted the bi-weekly bridge club at her house which turned out to be a bridge/baby shower.  All the cards accompanying the gifts my mother received that day were drawn by Kate with unique sayings on each. Thanks to Kate’s former daughter-in-law I have a number of Kate’s artistic renderings which hang with honor in my home.

Kate’s sudden death at age 52 in December, 1962 took from Monroe one of the city’s most talented, beloved and devoted citizens.

       This has been only a glimpse into the lives of some who helped make Monroe such an enjoyable place to live and grow up. On another occasion I will continue this journey with others who have added their talents in making Monroe the special place it is today.