By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JAN. 11, 2022 | Georgia lost a mighty good man when Bradley Currey Jr. died last week in Atlanta at the age of 91. For 24 years, he was associated with Rock-Tenn Company, which had its headquarters in Norcross. The company was one of the leaders in the recycled paper business, turning used paperboard into printed cartons for the beverage industry, among its many users.
During his association with Rock-Tenn (the company known as West-Rock today), the firm had tremendous growth and was a moving force in the recycled paper business. Currey joined Rock-Tenn in 1976, and with Worley Brown, led the company until Brown became disabled in the 1980s. From 1976 to 2000, when Currey retired, the company grew from $12 million in sales to $1.3 billion. Rock-Tenn was a Fortune 500 company and was at one time one of five companies in Gwinnett listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The firm changed its name to West-Rock in 2015, when it merged with MeadWestvaco. It moved its headquarters from Norcross to Sandy Springs in 2018, though it still has other offices in Gwinnett now.
To know Brad Currey was to know one of the finest, first-rate leaders in Atlanta. He served in leadership capacities on many of the major boards in Atlanta, from the Atlanta Chamber and United Way, to the Atlanta Symphony and Woodruff Arts Center, to the Federal Reserve Bank and directorships of several private companies. After retirement, he was a central force in the finding agreement among the parties in the continuing “water wars.” He was appointed by three governors to a water basin leadership team which came up with solutions acceptable to all parties.
Currey
But it was Brad Currey’s basic style and manner that most impressed people. Ever courteous, and with impeccable Southern manners, Bradley Currey was easy to know and admire, bringing out the best in people.
He was a native of Chattanooga, Tenn. and a 1951 graduate of Princeton University. With the Korean War going on at that time, he joined the Army, served as an enlisted man and then as an armor officer. He declared infantry basic training and infantry leaders’ courses the “best possible antidote to four years at Princeton University.”
With the Rock-Tenn headquarters in Gwinnett, Mr. Currey took a major interest in activities in Gwinnett, with him serving on the Chamber Board of Directors. He was the principal impetus for the formation of the A. Worley Brown Boys and Girls Club in Norcross, the second Boys and Girls Club in the county. The employees of Rock-Tenn contributed $600,000 of the $3.5 million campaign to build the Club. The A. Worley Brown Foundation made a $500,000 contribution. All knew that the man, Bradley Currey, was behind the scene in raising these funds.
Bradley Currey also was part of the effort to build the Robert Fowler YMCA in Peachtree Corners, which opened in 1997. He served as its honorary chairman of fund-raising and was a major contributor.
More than anything, Brad Currey was a man you felt at ease with. He had a calming style, never rushing into matters, making you know that his doors and his mind were always open to you.
Bradley Norton Currey Jr., 1930-2022: may you rest in peace.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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