On Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 — Election Day — I was sitting at the bar at Apres Diem in Midtown Atlanta, nursing an Aperol Spritz after having cast my vote for the general elections and calming my anxieties when Maria Saporta breezed through the door for a meeting in the back dining room.
We greeted each other, and I said, “It’s a big day for the press.” She says, “Yeah, and sadly, Bernie Marcus passed away today.” I had not heard this, and I sank. I purposefully avoided news that morning for my mental health — as many did on election day.
She went on to her meeting in the back room. I went back to my Aperol Spritz and picked at the calamari in front of me, which grew cold and soggy. A sadness began to pool. He was the second major figure at the Georgia Aquarium to pass away within the year. A few months ago, they lost the CEO, Dr. Brian Davis.
Since Bernie’s passing this week, I’ve read several posts, articles, and homages to this great philanthropist, man of industry, Home Depot Co-founder, and Georgian. Most cited the millions of dollars of his impact. All of it is true. He is indeed one of the greatest CEO visionaries Georgia has ever seen. His founding of the Georgia Aquarium surpassed even his own expectations of what it would do for Georgia’s economy.
But on the micro level and on a personal note, let me share with you some perspectiv. And this kind of impact is, in my opinion, priceless. The first time I met Bernie, I was co-chair of the Corporate Volunteer Council’s Annual IMPACT Awards Luncheon. At the time, I worked for ING Americas as the Community Relations Manager. This was in the 2000s. He was gracious enough to agree to be our keynote speaker and we were sitting in the green room at some hotel in Buckhead. He says to me, “So, who’s here?” And I begin to rattle off the names of some people I knew who RSVP’d to the event. Then he repeated his question, “No, I mean, who are these people?”
I paused. I looked up at him and looked him in the eye. He looked me in the eye and made sure I was understanding his question, and I knew not to open my mouth again until I knew how to answer his question. This entire exchange took about 15 seconds.
And once it clicked, I said, “The majority of the audience are community relations managers from major corporations who oversee the employee volunteer programs for their companies. And the other half are the nonprofit organizations they partner with.” He nodded once and was clearly satisfied with the answer. Minutes later, he went on stage and delivered the absolute perfect keynote that hit all the right notes, as if he had written and prepared that speech for days.
After that experience with Bernie, I went on to include in all my preparations for my senior executives a sentence about the audience they would be speaking to or networking with and what that audience cares about so they could align their tone and their messages. Priceless.
And then there’s the building of the Aquarium in downtown. It is well known that my ex-husband Tony and I were downtown pioneers and moved downtown in 1996 after the Olympics. We were both very involved with the Atlanta Downtown Neighborhood Association for 17 years, and when the Aquarium announced it would be coming downtown, our whole neighborhood was thrilled to welcome the attraction. We saw Bernie on occasion during hard hat tours and heard him say on more than one occasion why he felt an Aquarium was the right choice vs. another sporting venue. What I remember the most during those times was that he genuinely wanted to make people smile, and he wanted it to be a place for families. The first CEO, Jeff Swanagan, and the first executive team worked like a family. Jeff Swanagan lived among us downtown in Museum Tower and truly became our friend and neighbor.
Prior to the Aquarium opening, the aquatic animals, scientists, caretakers, and vets were being housed at undisclosed warehouses in the area. They built living quarters for them, and when Tony and I were renovating our loft downtown, we donated our old kitchen to the apartments.
When the Aquarium finally opened in November 2005, the lines were extremely long, and when the summer months came, guests were standing outside in the heat, waiting in long lines. Jeff Swanagan approached Tony and his caricature company, Team Artboy, and asked him to do caricatures for guests to keep them entertained. Eventually, Team Artboy moved inside and added three more artists and face painters and remained as a vendor for 16 years. We shuttered that business just this past March. The end of an era. That relationship provided a livelihood for four caricature artists and five face painters and created thousands of smiles. I wonder how many people have a drawing from the Aquarium. Some families return to the Aquarium annually for their caricature, especially if they add a new family member. We drew many marriage proposals. Those were always fun.
Lastly, when the Aquarium wanted to do a unique fundraising event, they decided to create a wine tasting called “Aqua Vino.” Tad Hutcheson from Delta Airlines, Carol Burnstein, and I were the first co-chairs of that event, which now brings thousands of guests annually. The first one was in 2008. I remember the year because I was extremely pregnant with my son, and Tad kept joking about a water birth in the big tank.
Anyway, Bernie’s legacy goes above and beyond the money. You cannot put a price on a smile.
What a wonderful article, Maria. Many thanks!