James Nov-Dec 2023 web - Flipbook - Page 45
As my mom battled a serious and basically incurable
illness, she received the very best care I have seen in my
many decades as an Atlanta native at Wellstar’s premier
medical center. The staff, the nurses and the doctors were
to the person the very best. It made this Cobb raised son
very proud and eternally grateful.
As we rode out those days at the hospital, I showed
my mom pictures of the kids playing baseball on the
green of The Battery. I shared our view of the stadium and
the places where we ate after long days at the hospital.
Having been housebound for years, and cared for by
a team of caregiver angels who became her friends and
“family,” she could hardly believe this magic: the lights,
the people, the restaurants, this obvious joy was taking
place just miles away from her quiet home surrounded by
gardens, all manner of birds and her beloved deer.
It is no wonder why the Braves organization is the
envy of baseball. And The Battery is now known across
the nation as the greatest venue in all of sports. It’s safe,
inspiring to kids, entertaining for adults.
So, from the time of a family farm in the late 1800s to
the creation of the greatest entertainment and sports facility ever built, my mother and her “greatest generation part
two” lived, loved and paved the way in Atlanta and Cobb.
On October 4th, before the first playoff games for this
year’s record-setting Braves, my mother left this earth
at her Vinings home listening to the gospel songs she
learned as a child. She had seen Atlanta go from a city
with a handful of nice restaurants and run by trolley cars,
to a massive international metropolis.
She has surely earned her place in heaven.
For me, semi-retirement life on a golf course in Saint
Petersburg, combined with a little polling and TV work, has
become my heaven on earth. But my heart can never ever
leave Atlanta, or Georgia, and certainly not Cobb County.
And the Braves, their magnificent organization and all
the great restaurants and that fantastic hotel at The Battery, have given Dolle and I our own little slice of Americana, our own little slice of heaven on earth in Atlanta.
On the day my mother died there was a knock on
our hotel room door. It was flowers and a sympathy card
signed by the staff at the Omni Battery Hotel. Anyone
who thinks Metro Atlanta still doesn’t have a heart, think
again. The Braves, winners in every way, keep that heart
going. And for that I am eternally grateful.
If the Braves organization wants to deliver a nice plate
of crow for me to eat the next time we are at the Omni,
feel free. I’ll gladly mix it with the barbeque, steaks, tacos
and all manner of other great food at The Battery that
have become our mainstay when we are in town.
May the Braves continue their winning ways for many
years to come. And may my dear mother enjoy her richly
earned eternal life. By the way mom, there are plenty of
politicians to support in heaven… and plenty to follow.
PUTTING
KNOWLEDGE
TO WORK
For over 60 years, Kennesaw State has
celebrated and supported community
and industry relationships.
With our growing base of student and
alumni talent, innovative research and
supportive campus resources, KSU shapes
career-ready graduates who are prepared
to meet the challenges of Georgia’s
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