continued from page other cities ….

continued from page

other cities have adopted and is changing lives across America. More than 25 cities have a version of the plan which Cousins founded. He was a visionary who took on big projects which changed Atlanta’s skyline and helped make Atlanta a truly great city.

A graduate of the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, Cousins bought the NBA franchise, the Hawks, and moved the team from St. Louis to Atlanta. He originated the Atlanta Flames, a National Hockey League team.

In addition to his long-time support of his alma mater, he also was a generous contributor to Auburn, his wife, Ann’s alma mater. (Ann Draughon is the daughter of the long-time president of Auburn, Ralph B. Draughon).

During his peak development years, there were occasions when I would visit him in his homebase in Buckhead. There were a couple of times when it was for an interview but sometimes just to talk. You could learn so much from him when he found the time to discourse over lunch.

He was a busy man, but he would take the time to talk about his alma mater and the sports scene. He was a generous and gracious man whose reputation for selflessness was off the charts.

“You met Tom Cousins and you knew you were with a born leader,” said one of his friends Jim Nalley, one of Atlanta’s premier titans in the automobile business. “He was the rising tide that lifted all boats which influenced Atlanta’s becoming a major league city in every respect.”

Billy Payne, who brought the ’96 Olympics to Atlanta and became Chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club, was an entrenched admirer of Cousins. “Tom had the best combination of intellect, ethics, and devotion to his faith of any man I have ever met. What a wonderful human being he was.”

You will find glowing tributes all across the country for this great man.