Tag: Editor’s Note

I was 16 years old when John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette were married on Cumberland Island in 1996. They could have been married anywhere on earth, and they chose a remote Georgia island where all the roads are dirt and speckled with the “marks” of wild horses.

It wasn’t lost on me that on that fateful July evening, I was able to quickly drive to one of the world’s top children’s hospitals and know that my child was truly receiving the best care possible. I had trusted these doctors with his life, and they had gone lengths to ensure that trust wasn’t misplaced.

It’s hard to overstate what a big deal it is for Atlanta to welcome the FIFA World Cup. Thirty years ago, we proved to the world we can host a major global event when we welcomed the Olympics. Now, we’re flexing again. Hang on to your tifos: The World Cup has arrived.

I do think my father-in-law would be proud of the essays we’ve assembled and the contributions we’ve received from Atlanta icons such as Andrew Young. He’d be happy that his hometown magazine is still printing away after 65 years. Most of all, he would say he’s glad he spent his life in Atlanta, a city that grew up right alongside him but always managed to feel like home.

I am humbled to follow 10 editors who gave everything they had to ensure the magazine that bears this city’s name would continue 65 years and counting. I’ll do my best to honor their legacy, one issue at a time.

This is a bittersweet moment. I’m grateful for the people I worked with here, the team of editors who are dedicated to publishing a high-quality magazine each month. And I’m also grateful for the writers who grace us with their words. Fond adieus, and bon voyage.

I’m retiring as editor in chief of Atlanta magazine after the March issue so I can write my book, Finding Nicole. It’s been an honor to follow in the footsteps of such towering figures as Jim Townsend and Lee Walburn. Just as it was an honor to succeed Betsy Riley. As a journalist and editor, I’ve spent my career telling other people’s stories. This is the one that chose me.

Nothing has shocked me more than when I moved to Rhode Island in 1988 and learned the state had yet to observe the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, which was federalized in 1983, with official observance beginning in 1986. On MLK Day that year, I was assigned to go to a high school in the northern suburbs and write a story about a history teacher who always devoted the holiday to teaching about the civil rights movement. To his 16-year-old students, the ’60s were ancient history, and he wanted to make sure they understood the historical context and why it was still relevant to their lives.

The Plaza Theatre isn’t just a place to see a film: It is a cultural heartbeat, the kind of space where Atlanta’s weird and wonderful converge. The Plaza, honored as one of our “Best of Atlanta” entries in this issue, is one of the most venerable movie houses in the city—and its oldest. The Plaza’s art deco marquee is a landmark at the corner of Ponce de Leon and Highland avenues, and it’s always been the anchor tenant of Briarcliff Plaza.

Looking back, it’s hard to believe that the Atlanta Braves won only one World Championship during the Bobby Cox era. The team set a standard for excellence with a record 14-straight Eastern Division championships and made it to the World Series five times. But it was still a magical time to be a baseball fan in Atlanta.