Before there was a Rich’s Pink Pig, the traditional “Lighting of the Great Tree” took place at the downtown Rich’s Department Store in Atlanta for the first time in 1948. A 70-foot live tree was placed on the roof of the store that year and the lighting took place on Thanksgiving night.

William Akers and Ida King Akers built a country home along Spalding Drive in what was considered Dunwoody around 1935. The name Idalakers evolved from Ida Akers name and from the idea of many “idle acres” surrounding the home. The property included forty-five acres on a hill with lovely views of hills and valleys all around.

The building was a store and post office. It was first the location of the Nash Store and later became Thompson’s Grocery. The door on the left led into the post office. The middle and right door led to the grocery store. Mrs. Thompson, known by the locals as Miss Lottie, would ring up the sales on the cash register.

There were several dairies in north DeKalb County in the 1930s and 1940s, including Chamblee, Dunwoody, and Brookhaven, but the C. S. Webb Dairy began when Cliff and Clara Webb came to Sandy Springs in 1924. The dairy was located where Aberdeen Forest subdivision is now located, at the intersection of Johnson Ferry Road and Glenridge Drive.

J. W. Warren (1857-1940) and Emily Francis Stanton Warren (1860-1925) moved from Conyers, Georgia to Chamblee, purchasing land on Chamblee Tucker Road. Warren Elementary School was built on land that the family owned and of course the school carries their family name. Later they sold property to Atlanta Baptist College, which is now Mercer University.

A couple of years ago Dunwoody was given the temporary nickname of Bankwoody. It was during a time when branch banks were constantly being built and old bank buildings remained but under new names. This has slowed down recently, but the community still has many banks. As usual, I like to think of what used to be in these locations and often wish the old landmarks could return.

Mr. W. T. Donaldson was born in Dunwoody on July 1, 1921. He was born in the family home on North Shallowford Road across from where Emory Hospital was later located, with Dunwoody’s Dr. Puckett attending. W. T. Donaldson’s parents were Mattie Azilee Eison Donaldson and James W. Donaldso

On May 31, 2008, I was honored to be invited to a reunion of people who attended Dunwoody School between 1928 and 1955. Carlton Renfroe, Jeff Porter, and Margaret Henderson Jenkins planned the reunion. Looking back on this opportunity, I wish I had an audio or video recording of the event. However, I was new to the group and wanted to get to know them first, so I listened and took note

Daniel McBride, who parachuted from a C-47 in 1944 was among the veterans who returned to Normandy to commemorate the momentous day in 2019. A few months before the trip, I spoke with Mr. McBride, who was living in New Mexico.