Griffin Speaks

"THE INCREDIBLE THURBERT E. BAKER"

On June 1, 1997, Georgia Governor Zell Miller appointed Thurbert E. Baker the first black Attorney General. Baker was elected to serve a full four year term on November 3, 1998. He carried 113 of Georgia's 159 counties. Baker is not a native of Georgia. He grew up across the street from me in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

Thurbert Baker lived with his mother, grandmother, first cousin June, brother Levon and I believe a sister I didn't know. They were next door neighbors to my childhood friend and classmate, Jewel Chavis. I resided with my family at 1411 avenue B, Thurbert resided on avenue A.

Although I was only five years old when Thurbert was 11, there are some things that I can clearly remember about him. Everyone could tell that he was gifted. I can remember Mrs. Jessie Whitehead and my mom talking about that Baker boy and how he was going to be somebody when he grew up. Thurbert Baker was a peacemaker. He was totally incredible even at the young age of eleven. He didn't grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth. He attended Public Schools. Thurbert had two special friends, Robert Evans and Leonard Lee. I believe Robert is now a sitting Judge.

Helen Bowens, a close childhood friend of mine also remembers Thurbert. "I would always see Thurbert with books and a serious look on his face. My mom would always say, "that boy is going places." Helen's mom and her sister, Sharon were pillars of our little community. Everyone knew and respected the Bowens family.

When I learned of Thurbert's appointment, I was delighted. The young kid that Mr. Horn told other neighborhood kids to emulate had made it to the top. So on my next trip to Atlanta I had to look him up.

Steve Sirmon and I had business at the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in downtown Atlanta, Georgia not long after Thurbert became Attorney General. I took that opportunity to pay my respect to the hometown kid that made it big. I asked Sirmon if he wanted to meet the new Attorney General. He said, "absolutely."

So off we went to the Georgia Attorney General Office. We stopped by my old friend Harold Melton's office for directions to the Executive suite. Harold is a division chief in Thurbert's office. Harold was the first black student body president of Auburn University. Harold knew that we were "pop calling." I sensed that he did not really want to join us on the visit so I did not pressure him to announce our arrival. He gave us the directions and off we went to Thurbert's office.

We approached Thurbert's secretary announcing that we were there to visit the attorney general. She quickly asked if we had an appointment. My response was the one that I give everyone's secretary: "YOU TELL THEM THAT GREG GRIFFIN IS HERE TO SEE HIM!" (In this case I did add that Greg Griffin from Rocky Mount, North Carolina . . . ) When she went back and made the announcement I could immediately hear Thurbert say "SEND GREG ON IN!"

The Attorney General made me feel like a million dollars. Within sixty seconds I knew exactly how he made it to the top! There standing before my eyes was "old big head Thurbert Baker. (Old big head is a term of endearment). The kid that shot marbles on Avenues A, B and C. I had not seen this man in 36 years. I saw his brother Levon Baker from a distance many years ago in an Airport. I was not sure it was he so I did not approach him.

Thurbert was as humble as ever. He was humble even though he had won five elections to represent part of Dekalb County in the Georgia House of Representatives. In 1991 he was selected by Governor Zell Miller to serve as his Assistant House Floor Leader. In 1993 he became the Governor's Floor Leader. It was in that position that he helped Governor Miller in passing some of the most important legislation in Georgia's history.

Attorney General Baker received his BA degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1975, and he received his law degree in 1979 from Emory University School of Law. Everything I learned about Thurbert impressed me. However, the most impressive thing was that he had married Catherine Bullock, Laney Powell's sister.

Laney and her five sisters were among Rocky Mount's finest women. They were smart and beautiful. As the saying goes, "behind every good man there is a good woman." Behind Attorney General Thurbert Baker is Catherine and that says it all!

Greg Griffin is a columnist for the historic Montgomery-Tuskegee Times. He can be reached at www.greggriffin.com