Dublin Editor Dubose Porter drapes the Golden Club medal around Elliott Brack’s neck.
(Dear Readers: Today’s topic isn’t easy for me, for I was taught not to toot your own horn. Last week at the annual meeting of the Georgia Press Association at Jekyll Island, I was honored with membership in their Golden Club. Thank you, J.K. for this nomination. –eeb
By J.K. Murphy
Publisher, Marietta Times Journal
June 16, 2023 | It was 1947 when a young Elliott Brack first entered the newspaper business. He was 12 years old and each afternoon, Monday through Saturday, the young entrepreneur could be seen pedaling his bike over the streets of Macon, Ga., delivering The Macon News to his customers’ doorsteps.
Murphy
Elliott took a liking to the newspaper business and after a year with the News, promoted himself to a Macon Telegraph morning route. He’d rise early and walk the 45-minute route before school and on weekends, a routine he followed through high school and into his college years. Dividends from his early newspaper work allowed him to buy his first car – a 1953 Chevy coupe.
Those successful beginnings launched a career of news dissemination across a large swath of the state of Georgia for more than 70 years.
A native Georgian, Elliott was born on a farm in Wilkinson County in 1935 and grew up in Macon. He is a graduate of Mercer University and holds a master’s degree from the University of Iowa. From 1958-61, he served as an Army officer, stationed in Bad Nauheim and Giessen, Germany.
For 13 years Elliott published a weekly newspaper, The Wayne County Press in Jesup, Ga. He was concurrently publisher of The Montgomery Monitor for five years.
For 12 years he was vice president and general manager of Gwinnett Daily News. He also held a similar position with the Marietta Daily Journal. He has also been a visiting associate professor of journalism for nine years at the University of Georgia.
For 13 years, he was associate publisher of the daily Gwinnett EXTRA section of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and wrote a column about Gwinnett four times a week. He officially retired in 2001 and since then has published an internet-moderated community commentary, www.gwinnettforum.com. He also published for 18 years GeorgiaClips, an internet news digest of what’s happening in Georgia from media sites published each business day.
Between his years in Jesup, Gwinnett County, Marietta, the AJC and Gwinnett Forum, it is estimated he has written more than 10,000 editorials and columns.
In 2008 he completed an 850-page book on the history of Gwinnett County, entitled Gwinnett: A Little Above Atlanta. He also published for the Gwinnett Bicentennial another small book, 366 Facts About Gwinnett in 2018, and updated it in 2022.
Among his civic activities:
- Citizen of the Year, 1994, named by Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce;
- Former president of the Georgia Press Association;
- Trustee, Atlanta History Center (eight years);
- Board member, Metro Atlanta Salvation Army (20 years);
- Former chairman of the Metro Atlanta American Red Cross chapter;
- Chairman and president, 1979-2012 of The Red and Black Publishing Company, the independent student daily newspaper at the University of Georgia in Athens.
For these reasons and a life dedicated to journalism and to informing and entertaining readers, I nominate Elliott Brack to the Georgia Press Association’s Golden Club.
One more element: “I’m honored to have spent an enjoyable life in the newspaper business at four levels — rural, suburban, metro, and now on the Internet. But I wasn’t alone. I had lots of help along the way, especially from Barbara, my wife of 65 years, who has helped, guided, proofread, and encouraged me all this time.”—eeb.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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