Thornton Kennedy is a dedicated force behind the scenes of Buckhead Heritage, working to preserve the rich tapestry of his community's history for generations to come. As the current vice president of the board, he plays a pivotal role in identifying, preserving, restoring, and promoting Buckhead's historic resources.
One of his notable contributions is reviving the Oral History Program alongside Judith Vanderver. Through the initiative, they recruited and trained over a dozen volunteers in partnership with the Atlanta History Center, resulting in the recording of several invaluable oral histories this year. These narratives, shared by those who lived them, encapsulate the essence of Buckhead's past and will endure for eternity.
Thornton served on the Bagley Park Task Force, advocating for the restoration of the Bagley family name to the home of Buckhead Baseball on Pharr Road. Inspired by a moving Buckhead Heritage talk by Bagley family member Elon Osby, he penned a column in the Northside Neighbor newspaper calling for the city to return to the park’s original name, which happened last year.
A lifelong Buckhead resident, Thornton keeps the spirit of Buckhead and Atlanta history alive through his weekly columns. He embodies the spirit of preservation and community stewardship, ensuring that the legacy of Buckhead endures for generations to come.
Alec Michaelides is the co-founder of Land Plus Associates, a landscape planning and architecture firm that works with architects, designers, builders and real estate professionals on site planning and landscape design. His office is located adjacent to Mount Olive Cemetery in Historic Bagley Park.
Alec joined the Buckhead Heritage board of directors in 2023. “I volunteered to take on the cemetery improvement project because I knew I could have some impact on the project and had the resources to get it done,” he says.
Alec designed a Master Plan for the cemetery, which sits at the entrance to the park. “I have been primarily involved in the cemetery project this past year because it was a lot of work to get it approved through the City of Atlanta,” he added.
His company was able to obtain donated labor and materials to be installed during the Master Plan process. The work includes installing a wall along Pharr Road, an entrance fence, landscaping and a historic marker. A Buckhead Heritage Task Force hopes to install interpretive signage in the park in the future.
Contributors to the landscape installation include Ladies of the Lake Foundation, Leija Construction, Ironworks International, Michael Jackson Landscape Company and Irrigation Atlanta.
Alec plans to utilize his expertise in the coming year to facilitate construction work for specific projects that are on Buckhead Heritage’s drawing board.
BuckheadHeritage.com
I volunteered to take on the cemetery improvement project because I knew I could have some impact on the project and had the resources to get it done.