Tag: people

By Chris Schroder

Most people wouldn’t subject themselves to ridicule on their birthday – but then again, Jerry Farber and other professional comedians aren’t like most people. The veteran Atlanta entertainer and nightclub owner will celebrate his 75th birthday and career as a comedian with a traditional comic roast this Saturday night, March 2 at his Buckhead club.

Had it not been for Jerry’s Moment 62 years ago – when a terrible band and even more terrible comedian were losing the attention of 300 guests at his own bar mitzvah – Jerry may never have become “Atlanta’s Stud Muffin of Mirth” and “The Cowboy of Comedy.”

By Chris Schroder

Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Sally Bethea began her work with environmental conservancy groups in the 1970s, but it wasn’t until hearing Robert Kennedy Jr. make a stirring speech that she had a Moment that ignited her deep enthusiasm to focus her efforts on Atlanta’s waterway.

“I was looking for something that would get me involved in giving back and doing environmental advocacy in a more place-based and specific results sort of way,” Sally said.

By Chris Schroder

Three weeks ago, Herb Nelson sat in the bleachers as he watched his 12-year-old son playing on his all-star basketball team when he had a Moment that changed everything – his son signaled to his coach that he needed to be taken out of the game. A minute later, his son slumped to the floor and didn’t get up.

“He took a shot, kind of looked like he was tired, and asked to come out of the ball game,” Herb said. “About a minute later, he collapsed on the sideline.”

Herb and other family members rushed over to Jeremy Nelson and worry struck, as it would strike any parent. They watched as a doctor – also in the stands that night – check Jeremy’s vital signs.

By Chris Schroder

Retired CEO and Chairman of financial firm Montag & Caldwell, Solon Patterson’s Moment led him and his wife to dedicate the rest of their lives to trying to reunite two Christian religions that split nearly 1,000 years ago.

Solon and his wife, Marianna, married in 1960 – he was Greek Orthodox and she was Roman Catholic. That difference would present challenges to their new life together, although on their wedding day, they didn’t realize how many challenges there would be.

As Solon told us, the vision of the two churches coming together will probably not happen in his lifetime. But his Moment when he and Marianna met the Catholic Pope and the Orthodox Patriarch in Constantinople, he knew it was something that would ultimately happen and that he had to commit his life to doing whatever he could to ensure others saw this reality as well.

Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Santa Claus. He’s called by many names but his mission is always the same – deliver toys to children around the world.

We had the chance to catch up with the rosy-cheeked and eye-twinkling legacy while he was visiting Rhodes Hall, taking notes of children’s Christmas wish lists. As he told us in the accompanying Moments video, his Moment happened following one foggy Christmas Eve when some children nearly received their presents late.

By Chris Schroder

Mark McDonald and his childhood friends were bicycling to their favorite fishing pond nestled in a grove of trees outside their historically rich hometown of Montgomery, Alabama, when they made a startling discovery.

The future CEO of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and his friends suddenly faced a harsh reality that had struck many historical southern towns before and since – development. The boys stood in silence as they watched as a large construction tractor bulldoze their beloved trees that had always shaded their favorite getaway.

“After I got out of law school, I realized that there were things that could be done about this,” he said in our accompanying Moments video. “The historic preservation movement was taking hold.”

By Chris Schroder

While President and CEO of Southern Bell, Frank Skinner began to take a leadership role in conducting the United Way Campaign for Metropolitan Atlanta. During the introduction to this new role in 1988, he began visiting and touring various facilities served through United Way to see the programs’ implementations firsthand.

Frank had been a community member dedicated to service for years, but it wasn’t until a visit to the Center for Visually Impaired that he made a profound connection in not only his aptitude – but also his responsibility – to serve.

By Chris Schroder

Matt Arnett had toured art museums across the globe, but nothing made a larger impact on his art career than the Moment he discovered a handcrafted quilt tucked away in a closet of an older woman’s modest home in Gee’s Bend, Alabama.

Matt had been researching and documenting African American art and culture in the South – tagging along for years with his father William, an art collector.

By Chris Schroder

When Charles Driebe’s mom invited him to a mysterious meeting at her house in 1990, the 33-year-old Atlanta attorney had no idea that one Moment would alter his life – and the lives of many other people who struggle daily with addiction – for the better.

Addiction to alcohol or other mood-altering substances afflicts more than 23 million Americans. For the friends or family members I know who wrestle with these issues, I often give one simple piece of advice: “Call my friend Charles. He’ll point you in the right direction.”