In the late summer and autumn of 1991, Atlanta witnessed a baseball miracle.
The Braves brought home the National League pennant, cementing their place in history as the first team to go from last place one year to first place the next. Buckhead bars were packed with fans, all cheering (and drinking) madly for the team that climbed from worst to first. The win united rowdy revelers, including a group of guys who would spend the next 35 years together, celebrating each other’s watershed moments with deep friendships that took them all by surprise.
“From 1991 to around 2007, we were close. We ran together and had the time of our lives. Then something funny happened,” says City Lifestyle publisher Jim Newman. “We started getting married, having kids and shifting our party thoughts to marriage and parenthood. With those kinds of changes, many groups of friends drift apart as they move away or just move on, but we had something special. We realized our friendship was not just one of convenience. We truly respected and loved each other, and knew this was something special and worth holding on to.”
Those glory days included meeting up at joints like Rio Bravo, Rupert's, World Bar, Lulu's Bait Shop, Tongue and Groove, Mako’s (remember the swing?) and, of course, Frankie’s. "On summer weekends, we all went to Lake Lanier. Who could forget Cocktail Cove and all the boats tying up together,” recalls Jim. The guys would party together, but also lean on one another through life changes, big decisions and career pivots.
Jim’s band of brothers includes Mike Baker, Stephan Gosh, Phil Kitchens, Zack McElory, Bijon Memar, Glen Messner, Jim Newton, Stuart Swanepole and David Vandiver.
The crew started traveling together to Las Vegas, St. Simons, Cabo, Destin and other bachelor-friendly destinations. Their annual trip to Destin for Memorial Day meant 12 guys sharing a five-bedroom beach house rental where a Saturday night party would ensue. “We’d clear the furniture out for the party and invite friends and new friends. If any of this sounds a little sad and desperate, you are correct, but we were too happy to know it,” says Jim.
Now, the men are captains of industries, builders, venture capitalists, attorneys and business owners. Among them, they have been blessed with 13 children and a handful of grandchildren and have weathered divorces, weddings, births and deaths together. Many live in Buckhead and Brookhaven and still get together for birthdays and anniversaries and they all meet for an annual Christmas lunch at Chop’s.
For men to have such strong and long-lasting friendships is rare. “I know these guys will be with me for the rest of my life,” says Jim. "And it all started 35 years ago in a bar and a chance meeting that led to one of the most important additions to my wonderful life.”
We truly respected and loved each other, and knew this was something special and worth holding on to.