 
Herman Talmadge served as Georgia's Governor for a brief period in 1947 and from 1948 to 1954. In 1956, he was then elected to the United States Senate, serving 4 terms until 1980. The formal pose was taken in 1956 just as he began his career in the U. S. Senate. The candid shot shows Senator Talmadge at the Watergate hearings.Talmadge probably achieved his greatest national prominence through his role on the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, which investigated the Watergate scandal and ultimately led to the resignation of the president and vice president of the United States, as well as the conviction of three cabinet members on felony charges. Talmadge thought that the Watergate investigation was one of the most important events in the history of the United States and demonstrated that a republican form of government has a way of correcting the conduct of public officials and alerting others not to make the same mistake.Credit for the images: Courtesy of the Herman E. Talmadge Collection, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries. Click here to find information about his collection at the University of Georgia Richard B Russell Library |
 Brenda Boozer, class of 1966, has been a mezzo-soprano soloist with the Metropolitan Opera for more than 13 years. Thanks to The Mountain Times for Ms. Boozer's picture. Source: | Alfred Uhry, class of 1954, wrote the play and screenplay "Driving Miss Daisy. He is the only American writer to have won an Oscar, Tony and the Pulitzer Prize. During the 1999-2000 school year the Druid Hills theater was remodeled and dedicated in honor of Alfred Uhry. |
| Ron Blomberg, class of 1967 or 1968, was the first designated hitter in major league baseball. This event occurred during the opening game of the 1973 season, on April 6, 1973, at Yankee Stadium. Ron, who played baseball at Druid Hills, was a part of the Yankee team for many years. | Ray Stevens, aka Ray Ragsdale, is an award winning recording artist. His hits include "Everything is Beautiful", "Ahab the Arab," "The Streak", "The Shriners Convention", "Gitarzan" and "Mississippi Squirrel Revival" (written by Druid Hills classmate Buddy Kalb).
In 1960, Ray Ragsdale packed all his belongings into a 1959 Plymouth and U-Haul trailer, and left Atlanta to find fame as a county music artist in Nashville. He became known to the world as Ray Stevens, a great American lyrical humorist. A series of TV milk commercials also brought him notoriety. His awards include a Grammy for "Everything is Beautiful" in 1970 and another Grammy for "Misty" in 1975. Ray was a graduate from the Class of 1957. |
John Pruitt, class of 1960, now anchor for WSBTV news, has been a reporter in Georgia for over 35 years. Stories he has covered include major events of the Civil Rights movement, the first flight of Lockheed's C5, the 1989 earthquake in San Francisco, the inaugurations of Presidents Carter and Clinton, and the aftermath of September 11th. At Druid Hills, he was Sports Editor of the SAGA, President of the National Honor Society, and ran with the state champion track and cross country teams. | Dale Russell, investigative reporter for Fox5 News, has been reporting Atlanta's biggest news stories for over 15 years. His reports have focused on major events including Atlanta's Missing and Murdered Children, the Olympic Park Bombing, and the attacks of September 11th. In fact, Dale began journalism at Druid Hills, as a member of the Spotlight Newspaper.
"Thanks for thinking of me. You know, it all started all started when I was Sports Editor at the Spotlight!" Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame banquet. Pictured above are John Pruitt (former anchor at WSB-TV), Dale Russell (investigative reporter at Fox 5) and Ed Baker | Publisher, Atlanta Business Chronicle. All have been inducted into the Hall of Fame and graduated from Druid Hills (class of 1960, 1969 and 1972). |
Sam Massell, who was elected as Mayor of Atlanta in 1969, becoming Atlanta's first Jewish Mayor also graduated from Druid Hills. He is a graduate from the class of 1944. Click here for more information about Sam Massell. | Jerry McCumber, a 1966 graduate of Druid Hills, is the current mayor of Avondale Estates. Avondale Estates was built in the 1920s as an idealized English village with a small commercial core built to look like a Tudor town. (posted March 2006) |
Alvin Ferst graduated from Georgia Tech in 1943. He was actively involved in the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board and the Georgia Tech Foundation for decades. Mr. Ferst oversaw the expansion of Rich’s Department Store from its one downtown location to its many satellite stores as well. His wife, Charlotte Ferst, established a scholarship award as a birthday gift to honor her husband. The scholarship is entitled the Alvin M. Ferst Leadership and Entrepreneur Scholarship Award. Alvin Ferst graduated from Druid Hills in 1937 and won the Shining Light Award from the city for his many contributions to Atlanta. Click here for more complete information about Alvin Ferst. | Virgil Williams, a 1958 graduate of Druid Hills High School, is a noted business entrepreneur in Georgia. After graduating from Georgia Tech, he and his brother were involved in a number of businesses. These included a successful construction business, banking, and the chairmanship of Williams Service Group, an Atlanta- based engineering-services company with offices in Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans, Chattanooga, Birmingham and Auburn. Williams introduced banking in Kroger grocery stores in Georgia with Bank South, and was the chief fund raiser and campaign manger for Governor Zell Miller. He served as Governor Miller’s chief of staff and bought Georgia Trend magazine as one of his acquisitions, a business magazine. Virgil and his brother also designed and built the Great American Scream Machine at Six Flags Over Georgia.
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