Arthur L. MONTGOMERY

Family-Placed Death Notice

ARTHUR L. MONTGOMERY 1923 - 2012 Arthur Lowndes Montgomery, a third-generation Coca - Cola bottler and a strong force in the mid-century growth and development of Atlanta, died peacefully at home Sunday, Oct. 14, from pneumonia. His two children, Monty and Jeannette, were with him. He was 89. As chairman of the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority in the 1960s, he played a key role in a small band of business leaders who not only built the first stadium in Atlanta but also brought the former Milwaukee Braves and, later, the Falcons, to play here. In 1970, he introduced the city and the Southeast to sports car racing; he was the chairman and owner of Road Atlanta. His partners in transforming Atlanta into a vibrant hub of business and sports in the 1960s and '70s included the late Mayor Ivan Allen and the late banker Mills B. Lane Jr. In 1976, Atlanta magazine named him one of the 200 Atlantans who contributed most to the welfare and quality of life of the community. Arthur Montgomery was born in Atlanta on Feb. 17, 1923 to LaFayette and Jeannette Lowndes Montgomery, the daughter of George S. Lowndes, a partner of Dr. Pemberton, who created the original Coca-Cola formula in 1887. He attended the E. Rivers School, North Fulton High School and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Realizing his future business relationships would likely be Georgia-based, he transferred to the University of Georgia and graduated with the Class of 1944. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and remained devoted to the university. He was an emeritus trustee of the University of Georgia Foundation and a co-founder of the Georgia Student Education Fund, Inc. Arthur served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II. Arthur's grandfather, Arthur Montgomery, owned a third of the original Atlanta Coca-Cola Bottling Company; his adopted nephew, LaFayette F. Montgomery, joined the business in the early 1900s, and his two sons - Arthur and George - followed him into the burgeoning enterprise which became the flagship bottler of the Coca-Cola Co. In the early days, as a teenager, Arthur earned $8 a week working in the Edgewood Avenue plant during the summers when he also attended Atlanta Cracker baseball games on Ponce de Leon. Although Arthur had planned to go back to school after serving in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, he was needed at "the plant," then located on Spring Street. As he acquired more responsibility - "depending on the moods of my father," he once wrote - he continued to put off his education and, over the years he served as advertising manager, vice president, executive vice president and president (1958). "Mr. Arthur," as he was fondly called, retired as chairman of the board and chief executive officer when he sold the bottling company to the Coca-Cola Co. As the director of Atlanta Landmarks, Inc., Arthur was instrumental in saving the Fox Theatre and ensuring its place as a National Historic Landmark. He also was instrumental in building the Omni and assisting in bringing the Hawks to Atlanta. Arthur served on and was director of dozens of boards, civic organizations and development enterprises. He and his legacies to the City of Atlanta have been included in many histories and business books about Atlanta and its growth. He was the recipient of numerous awards - for Distinguished Service, Meritorious Service, Exceptional Service - from the Sales and Marketing Club of Atlanta (1965), the National Athletic Hall of Fame (1973), The Christian Council of Metro Atlanta (1988) and the Atlanta Business League (1988), just to name a few. Among the boards he served on were the Young Presidents' Organization, the American Cancer Society, the Planning Commission for the Atlanta Civic Center, the Atlanta Art Association, Symphony Guild and Better Business Bureau. He was a director at the Trust Co. of Georgia (now SunTrust), Central Atlanta Progress and a trustee at The Westminster Schools. Arthur was part owner of the Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc., WLTV (now Channel 11) and other real estate enterprises. He was the honored by the Buckhead Boys Club in 1998. He is survived by children of his first wife, Eleanor "Ellie" Morgan of Savannah: Monty Montgomery and Jeannette Lowndes Montgomery Barron and her husband, James D. Barron, and two grandchildren, Isabelle and Benjamin Barron. His brother, George, also survives him. The family is grateful to Calvin McGhee, who worked at the bottling company and remained a devoted friend for almost 60 years. The family also thanks Triff Cook and Susan Troutman of Homecare Assistance and the two caregivers, James Nderitu and Felix Manford; thanks, too, to Evercare Hospice. Long a fan of auto racing and fine cars, Arthur restored an old 1930s Duesenberg in the 1940s, was driving Jaguars and Aston Martins in the 1950s. By 1960, he began his romance with Ferraris; all told he enjoyed 17 of them. Annual trips to Indianapolis, Daytona and Sebring were high on his to-do list. He was a devotee of jazz, Dixieland and big band music and had a prodigious collection of 78s. He loved to play the drums and tackled the flute from time to time. He was known to read five books a week and devoured The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on a daily basis and email links to articles of interest to family and friends. Arthur was curious about many things including astronomy which he explored with a telescope at home; he was also an accomplished amateur photographer . Arthur was described by writer Mike Cheatham ( Your Friendly Neighbor: The Story of Georgia's Coca-Cola Bottling Families ) as "dapper, courteous and genial in a no nonsense sort of way" and the late sports editor Furman Bisher called him "a forceful man." Others cite his energy, good looks and good sense of humor as assets that enabled him to "get things done." Being a good citizen, Arthur would say, "comes with the territory." He will be remembered as altruistically generous, not just for civic causes but randomly, to people in need who crossed his path. He was the longest living member of Peachtree Golf Club and also belonged to the Capital City Club, the Piedmont Driving Club and the Commerce Club. Following cremation, there will be a private family memorial service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Good Samaritan Health Center, 1015 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30318-6653 or Children's Health Care of Atlanta, 1687 Tullie Circle, N.E., Atlanta, GA 30329.