Fletcher Coombs Remembers Robert Brisbane and Other Mentors

Former Mutual Federal Savings & Loan CEO Fetcher Coombs reflects on some of his mentors, including Dr. Robert Brisbane, L.D. Milton and Clayton Yates. He also describes Benjamin Mays' efforts to recruit Dr. Brisbane to the faculty of Morehouse College.

Friends Pay Tribute to Senator Leroy Johnson

Can you make Difference with a Law Degree?

Leroy Johnson was the first African American to be elected to the Georgia General Assembly. He served as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and was in the line of succession to the Governor's office. His accomplishments include securing a boxing license for Muhammad Ali, while Lester Maddox was Governor, paving the way for Ali's first comeback.

Senator Johnson was a candidate for Mayor of Atlanta in 1973. Although he was not elected, the manner in which he was treated by the other candidates was a sign of the esteem in which he was held. One such candidate, Maynard Jackson, frequently declared that Atlanta needed Leroy Johnson – in the Senate.

I met first met Senator Johnson as a young lawyer when I was walking to the courthouse and Senator Johnson was returning from the courthouse. We spoke, and I told him of my work as one of the very few African Americans then practicing with a major Atlanta law firm. I knew that Senator Johnson was impressed when he asked: “And when did you finish Morehouse?”

The Puppets' Court

Cleveland’s CBS affiliate has been covering the corruption trial of former Cuyahoga County commissioner Jimmy Dimora in federal court, where cameras aren’t allowed. No matter. The station reenacted the proceedings using puppets.

A Senator Reveals His Source of Inspiration

Can you make a difference with at Law Degree?

Leroy Johnson, among other things, became the first African American to be elected to the Georgia General Assembly in the modern era. He rose to become Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and in the line of succession to the Governor's Office. His influence was such that, during Lester Maddox's term as Governor, Johnson was able to arrange for the State of Georgia to issue a boxing license to Muhammad Ali at a time when no other State would do so, thus beginning Ali's first comeback.

When asked to identify those who most influenced him, Senator Johnson singled out former Morehouse College President Dr. Benjamin E. Mays. Dr. Mays taught Senator Johnson that one must never pay for segregation; that one must cling to ones ideals; and that, in order to survive in a segregated society, one must be iron-clad and steel-girded.