Walter Griffin - President.
An award-winning poet with more than 400 national and international publications to his credit, His early works were published in numerous small-press quarterlies and journals, and after the 1972 publication of his poetry in Harper's magazine, Griffin's work began to appear in such major publications as The New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, Kenyon Review, New England Review, New Yorker, Paris Review, The London Magazine, Sewanee Review, and Southern Review. Griffin taught in the "Poetry in the Schools" Program, a national program that gives students the opportunity to work with published poets. From 1972 to 1983 he was the visiting writer-in-residence at more than 110 secondary and elementary schools, colleges, and penal institutions in Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee. His poetry earned him the Author of the Year Award in 1976 from the Southeastern Regional Council of Authors and Journalists and in that same year, his book, "Port Authority" was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. In 1978 the Georgia Council for the Arts and Humanities named him master poet-in-residence. In 1972 Griffin founded the Atlanta Poets Workshop.
Dr. Robert Threatt - Vice President.
Dr. Threatt is a 1949 graduate of Morris Brown College. He received a Masters degree from Atlanta University and a Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Threatt served as President of Morris Brown College (1972 – 1984). While as President, he commissioned the writing of the history of the college entitled: MBC, The First Hundred Years ―1881 and A Century of Pride and Strength ―1981. He also served as a school administrator in the DeKalb School System (1984 – 1996). Dr. Threatt organized the Association of Past College Presidents, Southern Region. He continues to serve as an Educational Consultant for the Georgia Accrediting Commission and SACS. Dr. Threatt is a former President of the Atlanta Branch of the NAACP and is an active member of Flipper Temple A.M.E. Church. Additionally, he is a 60+ year member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. In 2008, Dr. Threatt was recognized by the Atlanta Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, with the Whitney M. Young Award.
Charles W. Strickland - Secretary and Treasurer.
Charles has had an ongoing tax and accounting practice in East Point for more than twenty years. He works with several non-profit organizations in the East Point area. Charles served as Director of Accounting Services for Atlanta Christian College for seven years. He and his wife Dorothy are members of East Point Christian Church and have resided on Montrose Drive in the Conley Hills neighborhood for close to forty years. His spare time hobby is Genealogy/Family History.
Ken Whitehead - Curator & Board MemberKen is an amateur genealogist and self-styled "history nut". He has a BBA degree in accounting from Kennesaw State College. He is married to East Point native and Russell High graduate, Jean Callahan, who is also the sister of our Board Member, Wylie Callahan. Ken served in the U.S. Navy's Naval Security Group as a Cryptographic Technician in Morocco, North Africa. After the Navy, he worked for over forty years for Firestone/Bridgestone before retiring as the senior internal auditor for north Georgia. Jean and Ken have live in East Point several times over the years, as well as in seven other states and two foreign countries. They have three children, nine grandchildren and one great grandson.
Charles Barlow - Board Member.
Charles is the son of the late Gertrude and Judge Barlow Sr. who were life long residents of East Point. He is a product of the public Schools of East Point and is a 1970 graduate of Chicago State University. He served in the United States Air Force from 1953 until 1957, was employed by the Atlanta and Fulton County Board of Education for 2 years as well as the Postal Service in Chicago Illinois for 12 years. He retired from the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority after 30 years of service. He serves as President of the East Washington Neighborhood Association and sits on the Gus Thornhill Scholarship board. He has served on the Board of Commissioners of the Housing Authority of East Point and is a member of Zion Hill Baptist Church where he serves on the CDC Board of Directors.
Meg LaFrantz - Board Member.
Meg moved to East Point in 2008 after living in Grant Park for over 10 years. She loves older neighborhoods and the community spirit and camaraderie that seems to typically reside in them. Upon moving into their bungalow in Frog Hollow, Meg decided to join the neighborhood association where she served for a year as secretary and produced the monthly neighborhood newsletter. Meg worked at McKinsey & Company for many years as a research analyst. She is currently leveraging those skills and collaborating with others to try and achieve historic district designation by the National Historic Register for the Frog Hollow neighborhood.
Wylie Callahan - Board Member.
Wylie grew up in East Point and is a member of two of the city's most historic families. The Callahan's have been in East Point since 1900. His great grandfather, William B. Callahan was a newspaper man as well as the owner of "Callahan and Sons", a firm that prided itself for raising the best Rhode Island Red's in the state. His grandfather, Render Callahan sat on city council and gave his life while in service to the citizens of East Point. His other great grandfather was A. S. Schell, one of East Point's charter signing members and a pioneering citizen. During high school, Wylie worked for a local hardware store and enjoyed it so much that after serving in the Navy aboard the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, he opened East Point Hardware on Main Street. He moved twice as his business grew, eventually opening at the current Church St. location.
Kassandra Ware - Board Member.
Kassandra was born in Atlanta, but was raised in Los Angeles, California. She has lived in East Point for the last ten years. She has been employed at a College in Georgia for nine years where she handles the processing of archival collections. She is also a member of the Society of Georgia Archivists. Kassandra enjoys volunteering to help the elderly in her community in her spare time.
Holly Renfro Keyes - Board Member.
Holly was born in Norfolk, Virginia into a Navy family who moved every one or two years with each change in assignment. She has lived in Atlanta since 1984, and moved to East Point in 2004. Holly lived in France and Brazil, has a B.A. in French and a Masters Degree in Media Arts, both from the University of South Carolina. She received the Department’s Distinguished Alumni award in 1986 and was a Board Member for the next three years. She worked for The Coca-Cola Company for 13 years leaving in 1996 as an Associate Creative Director. She’s been an Antique Dealer since 1996 and co-owns Urban Estate Sales. She served as an Officer of the Frog Hollow Neighborhood Association for three years. She recently created a web site that includes photographs, in numerical order, of every dwelling/structure located within the boundaries of Frog Hollow neighborhood.
D. Gordon Draves - Board Member.
Gordon is originally from Hemet, California and has a BA in Geography. He has lived in Georgia since 1977. He currently serves as President of Georgians Against Smoking Pollution, Tobacco Chair for Live Healthy DeKalb, Legislative Chair for HEART Coalition (Fulton County), and Chair of the Atlanta Group, Georgia Chapter, Sierra Club. He is also active in the American Association of Retired Persons, Tri-Cities SALT--Seniors and Law enforcement Together, Stand-UP, Southeast Photography Society, Semmes Park Community Organization, and the Hillcrest Cemetery Memorial Association board.
Exofficio Board Members.
Olen and Ora Jean Gunnin - Exofficio Board Members.
The Gunnins are a local fixture and have done so much for East Point and the Historical Society that it would be impossible to list it all here. Olen and Ora Jean were both raised in East Point and have seen the city in a way that most of us can only imagine. Olen has always been involved with the community, his most notable credit is his 20 years of service on the East Point City Council. Ora Jean is one of the 3 people instrumental in the establishment of the East Point Historical Society. She was involved in the East Point Woman's Club, Clean Community and served as a board member on the Fulton County Board of Education. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gunnin have served as President of the EPHS and Mrs. Gunnin has served in all executive positions on the board at one time or the other. Their work with the Historical Society has guaranteed that the future citizens of East Point will have the history of East Point available to them.
