James Poole

Family-Placed Death Notice

POOLE, James JAMES PARROT "POLLY" POOLE James Parrot "Polly" Poole was born on January 25, 1920 in Americus, Georgia. He attended the public schools there, and at age eight decided he wanted to go to Georgia Tech, which he did. As President of ATO at Tech, Polly was a campus leader and a member of ODK and ANAK. After graduating from Tech in 1942 with a degree in Industrial Management, Polly married Dorothy Elizabeth Gay of Gay, Georgia. He then enlisted in the United States Navy, where he proudly served his country as a Radar Officer aboard the USS Lander in the Pacific fleet. He returned to Atlanta after the war and began his career in Life Insurance and Estate Planning. Ever devoted to his alma mater, Polly began his involvement at Tech. He went on to be the President of the Greater Atlanta Georgia Tech Club and later the President of the Georgia Tech National Alumni Association. Polly has remained a loyal and committed alumnus for over fifty years. He has chaired the Development and Investment Committees of the Tech foundation, of which he has been a Trustee for thirty years. In 1985, Polly was the Vice-Chairman of the Georgia Tech Centennial Campaign Steering Committee and in 1988, was the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Service Award of his beloved alma mater. Polly was a member of the College of Management's Advisory Board and was a founder of Georgia Tech Charitable Life Inc. The Dorothy Gay and James P. Poole Learning Wing was recently name in recognition of Polly and his wife Dot. Because of Polly's commitment to higher education, his competitive spirit and drive for excellence, in 2004 he became the first Tech "Legend" of the Georgia Tech College of Management Inaugural Hall of Fame. Over the past sixty years Polly enjoyed many crisp fall afternoons watching Tech play football at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Polly was a Life Member of the Alexander Tharpe Fund of The Georgia Tech Athletic Association. Polly Poole has been a leader in his industry serving as President of most of the insurance organizations in the State of Georgia and the City of Atlanta including the Atlanta Estate Planning Council, the Atlanta Chapter of Chartered Life Underwriters, Atlanta Life Underwriters, and Life Leaders of Georgia. In 1953 Polly was listed in Time Magazine as one of Atlanta's "100 Leaders of Tomorrow". On a National level, he served aas President of the American Society of Chartered Life Underwriters and Chartered Financial Consultants. He also served as President of the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting and for 51 years has been a member of the Million Dollar Round Table. He was a charter member of the Top of the Table 1977-1984, has served as chairman of the MDRT public relations committee, Vice- Chairman of the Program Development Committee, By-Laws and Executive Committees. While representing the Guardian Life Insurance Company for 39 years Polly Poole received the National Quality Award for 37 years, the National Sales Achievement Award for 19 years, the Health Insurance Quality Award for 16 years and the Harry I. Davis Distinguished Service Award (Atlanta). James P. Poole was listed in the 1972-73 "Who's Who in America." Mr. Poole was the founder /owner Employer-Employee Security Plans, Inc. and later James P. Poole Company, which he sold to Poe & Associates in 1980. It was later bought by Brown & Brown which is now listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Polly spent much of his retirement time developing his knowledge and understanding of the stock market, which enabled him to continue his love of giving to many charitable institutions and worthy causes. In his Buckhead community, Polly was a founding and active member of Northside United Methodist Church for 59 years. He has served as Lay Leader and Chairman of the Administrative Board. He also served as a Trustee and Chairman of the Long Range Planning Committee and Chairman of Stewardship and Finance. For 8 years he served as a member of the Executive Committee of the World Methodist Council and for 5 years served as Vice Chairperson of the World Evangelism Committee of that organization. Polly's heart for World missions led him to become affiliated with Haggai Institute, a Christian organ- ization dedicated to training and equipping Third World Christian leaders to effectively evangelize their own people and train other nationals to do the same. Mr. Poole has travelled around the world several times, meeting with Christian leaders in the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Africa, Australia, Russia, Taiwan, as well as in Korea, China, South America, Hong Kong and Singapore. Mr. Poole served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Haggai Institute from 1985 to 1987, and remained as a Trustee of the International Board since that time. Polly has also served on the Executive, Committee of the Inter- national Leadership Institute, founded by an Asbury Theological Seminary Graduate to train Christian leaders in similar fashion as Haggai Institute. Mr. Poole was a long time supporter of Asbury Seminary and helped start the Latino studies program on the Orlando, Florida campus. Over the past twenty years Polly focused on helping spread the Gospel of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Philanthropy came naturally to Polly. A favorite uncle once counseled him to "give to others when you can". His life is a testimony of his personal faith and beliefs. Polly Poole has served as past Chairman of Technology Park, which he helped to develop and the Southeastern Legal Foundation. Among other civic activities, Polly is a past Vice President of the High Museum of Membership Committee and a long time patron of the museum. Polly has served on the Board of Trustees of Reinhardt College in Waleska, Ga, and was a member of the Lamplighter Society of Emory University. He served Emory for 8 years on the Committee of One Hundred and was also a member of the Advisory Board of the World Evangelism Institute located at Emory. His interest in higher learning also brought him the Chairmanship of the Private Enterprise Foundation of Georgia State University, where he served as a trustee of the Educational Foundation for 25 years. Polly was a Life Member of the Capital City Club.  (cont'd to next column)