If you've ever wondered how much of Athens' history walks unnoticed past us every day, this episode will change the way you see the city. Host Lesley Platek sits down to uncover the extraordinary life of Captain Henry Beusse — a German orphan who crossed an ocean at 16, survived the California Gold Rush and the Civil War, and went on to shape Athens into the community it is today, yet whose name graces no street, statue, or building in the city he helped build.

Guiding us through this story is Scott Thompson, a novelist and family historian whose wife's family turns out to be directly connected to Beusse— What follows is a sweeping account of grit, ambition, tragedy, and the way one immigrant's decisions rippled out to shape entire towns, families, and generations that came after him.

• Beusse's teenage voyage from Germany, his years at sea, and his harrowing trek through the jungles of Panama during the Gold Rush
• His Civil War service driving supply trains, his 375-mile walk home after the Confederacy collapsed, and the loss of two children during the war
• After the war, Beusse became a builder-literally and politically. Alderman by 1866. Mayor of Athen in 1871, 1872 and again in 1881. Along the way, he helped bring the city its first streetcar company, its first laundry, its first building and loan association, and in 1872 Georgia's very first roller skating rink.
• His three terms as Athens' first mayor, and the pivotal, almost accidental decision that determined the location of present-day Commerce, Georgia
• The devastating family scandal — a deadly confrontation involving two of his sons — that Scott believes explains why Beusse's remarkable legacy was largely erased from the city's public memory

The conversation doesn't shy away from the harder parts of this history, including the era's violence, the fragility of life before modern medicine, and a trial that gripped 1890s Athens. But it's ultimately a story about resilience and the quiet, compounding impact one person can have — something Scott and Lesley both reflect on with real warmth as they trace how Beusse's descendants, including a great-great-nephew freshly graduated from high school, carry his name forward today.

Tune in to hear the full story of the man behind Athens' first fire brigade, first roller rink, and first mayor's office — and why his legacy deserves to be remembered.

If you've ever wondered what really happens behind the scenes of local philanthropy, this episode will leave you both moved and inspired. Host Lesley Platek sits down with Sarah McKinney, President and CEO of the Athens Area Community Foundation, for a warm, wide-ranging conversation about what it means to grow giving in a community you love. Sarah shares her personal path into nonprofit work — sparked by caring for her grandparents as a college student — and how that early experience shaped a career spanning the Athens Community Council on Aging, Georgia 4-H, and now nearly a decade leading the Community Foundation.

The heart of the episode is Sarah's breakdown of how the Foundation actually operates: as a trusted partner, community leader, and philanthropic guide that helps donors give "to, through, and with" the organization. She explains donor-advised funds, estate planning partnerships, and how the Foundation safeguards a donor's original charitable intent even if a nonprofit someday closes or changes course. Along the way, she shares a favorite story about a summer reading nonprofit whose urgent, middle-of-the-night ask ended up inspiring the Foundation's very first impact-investing loan strategy.

• How Sarah's family caregiving experience in college led her into a lifelong nonprofit career
• The three roles the Community Foundation plays: trusted partner, community leader, and philanthropy guide
• What donor-advised funds are and why they're the fastest-growing charitable vehicle around
• How the Foundation protects a donor's legacy even if their chosen nonprofit changes or closes
• Why strong board training and donor stewardship matter as much as fundraising itself

The conversation closes on a bigger-picture note, touching on the sheer number of nonprofits in Athens (over 600!), the tension between running a mission-driven organization and running a sound business, and why "donor fatigue" is a real challenge in a small, generous town. Sarah's passion for Athens — and for the people and causes she serves — comes through in every answer, making this a great listen for anyone curious about philanthropy, nonprofit leadership, or simply the heartbeat of their own community.

If you've ever wondered what it's like to go from riding horses on an Athens farm to sitting between Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra at a Hollywood dinner party, this episode is for you. Host Lesley Platek welcomes Marianne Gordon Rogers, an Athens native turned actress and model who built a career in Hollywood commercials and film before returning home to build a life with country music legend Kenny Rogers. Marianne shares her journey from a horse-loving tomboy to a working actress in LA, opening up about the surprising strategy shift (going blonde!) that kept her booked, and the eerie experience of filming Rosemary's Baby alongside Mia Farrow just before the Manson murders shook Hollywood.

The conversation moves into her decades with Kenny Rogers, from their chance meeting in Nashville to the sprawling Georgia farm they built together, filled with horses, basketball courts, and celebrity guests like Michael Jordan and Gladys Knight & the Pips. Marianne also reflects candidly on faith, family, and her recent Alzheimer's diagnosis, offering listeners a message of hope and encouragement to seek early testing.

• Marianne's early years in Athens and her unexpected path into Hollywood modeling and commercials
• Behind-the-scenes memories from Rosemary's Baby and her friendship with Sharon Tate
• How she met Kenny Rogers and the couple's move back to build their Georgia farm
• Stories of celebrity friendships, including Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, and Lionel Richie
• Her decades-long mentorship work in Athens and an honest, hopeful reflection on living with Alzheimer's

It's a warm, wide-ranging conversation full of Hollywood glamour, Southern roots, and hard-won wisdom, and a reminder that even the most star-studded lives are anchored by home, faith, and the people you love.

Some conversations feel less like an interview and more like sitting on a porch swing, and that's exactly what this episode offers. This episode was recorded on June 4th, 2026, and it is shared now with heavy hearts — Bobby Poss passed away just days ago. He was a beloved figure in Athens, known and cherished by so many, and this conversation stands as a warm tribute to a life fully lived in this community.

Bobby, whose family name is stitched into Athens history through food, football, and decades of hometown hospitality.

Bobby takes us back to a childhood spent selling peanuts and Coca-Colas at Sanford Stadium, riding tractors before he was old enough to drive, and growing up in the shadow of his family's beloved barbecue business. From backyard hand-canning in the 1920s to feeding generations of Athenians at Poss' Lakeview and the Atlanta Highway restaurant, Bobby traces how his grandfather's small operation grew into a Southern food institution — one later merged with Castleberry's Fine Foods. Along the way, he shares stories of playing football at Athens High and the University of Georgia, working the stadium concession stands for 35 years, and the discipline (and mischief) of growing up under watchful parents and a legendary YMCA camp director.

• Bobby's earliest memories of Athens, from Memorial Park to Camp Kelly at four years old
• The Poss family barbecue legacy
• Stories from Athens High and UGA football, including life under tough, formative coaches
• Bobby's near-fatal bike accident and the strangers who saved his life
• Life lessons and hard-earned wisdom from decades in the hospitality business

Bobby Poss was a lifelong Athenian, former UGA football player, and steward of one of the city's most iconic barbecue legacies, and his stories capture a version of Athens that's equal parts nostalgic and enduring. Whether you remember Poss' barbecue firsthand or are hearing these stories for the first time, this episode is a warm, funny, and moving look at what it means to be raised — and rooted — in the Classic City, and now, a lasting piece of Bobby's own legacy.

In this episode of Classic City Rewind, host Lesley Platek sits down with Mark Clegg, an Atlanta native who moved to Athens just over a year ago, is here today to discuss "The Crimson and Gold: Football Integration in Athens, Georgia," published by the University of Georgia Press. It's Clegg's third book — he didn't start writing until age 59, beginning with a memoir about hiking the Appalachian Trail — but this story had been with him even longer. Clegg shares how his family's ties to Athens, including his father's firsthand account of the 1961 UGA integration riots, planted the seeds for a story that stayed with him for decades before he finally wrote it down. He traces the 1969 Athens High Trojans' improbable run to the state championship in their final season, and how that team's story became a window into the merger of Athens High and Burney Harris High to form Clarke Central High School in 1970.

• The origins of the "Crimson and Gold" name and how the two schools' colors and identities merged
• Clegg's personal connection to Athens football, including his admiration for standout player Andy Johnson
• The complicated legacy of Coach Wayman Sellers,
• How Burney Harris High School served as a vital community hub for Athens' Black community beyond athletics
• The research process behind the book, from newspaper archives to over 40 interviews with people who lived through the era.

The conversation doesn't shy away from the painful parts of this history — the racism players faced, the walkout during the 1970 season, and the tension baked into a merger nobody had a roadmap for. But it also highlights moments of genuine reconciliation, particularly under Coach Billy Henderson, who worked to rebuild trust between the two communities. Clegg reflects on why this story hadn't been told before, the awards the book has since received, and gives listeners a preview of his next project, "The People's Lake: The Tumultuous History of Lake Lanier," due out next year.

Grab a seat at the bar and settle in, because this episode is a warm trip through nearly 60 years of Athens history. We're heading downtown to 174 West Clayton Street, home to The Last Resort Grill — a building that was once a legendary music venue before it became one of Athens's most beloved restaurants. From hosting touring folk and blues legends in the 1960s and 70s to serving Southern and Southwest-inspired cuisine since 1992, this space has quietly shaped the soul of downtown Athens for generations.

In this conversation, current owners Tom and Kelly Call share the story of how a chance dinner (and a slice of cheesecake) on the restaurant's 30th anniversary led them to leave their life in Valdosta and take on the responsibility of carrying The Last Resort's legacy forward. They open up about the emotional and practical sides of buying a beloved institution, the mentorship of founder Melissa Clegg, and what it means to honor decades of memories while still finding ways to grow.

• The building's surprising origin story — from a bank called the "Lender of Last Resort" to a 1960s–70s music club that hosted acts like Doc Watson, Townes Van Zandt, and a young Jimmy Buffett and Steve Martin
• How Tom's real estate and property management background and Kelly's school teaching days prepared them for the emotional and financial realities of restaurant ownership
• The behind-the-scenes story of buying the restaurant from founder Melissa Clegg, including her mentorship during the transition
• The evolution of the beloved outdoor garden space, born out of necessity during COVID, and plans to make it a year-round venue
• Kelly's role curating the restaurant's rotating local artist program, and Tom's vision for bringing back a limited reservation system for locals

Beyond the history and the food, this episode is really about stewardship: what it takes to inherit a place woven into so many people's personal milestones — graduations, engagements, family traditions — and to keep that spirit alive while still evolving with the times. Tom and Kelly talk candidly about staff loyalty (their GM is celebrating 20 years this November), the challenges of downtown Athens, and their hopes for what the next 34 years might hold for The Last Resort.

If you've ever wondered what it takes to build a legendary sports program this episode of Classic City Rewind will feel like sitting down with an old friend who has quite a story to tell. Host Lesley Platek welcomes Manny Diaz, the former longtime head Mens tennis coach at the University of Georgia, whose journey from a tennis-obsessed teenager in San Juan, Puerto Rico to the winningest coach in SEC history is full of warmth, humor, and hard-earned wisdom. The conversation is especially timely: Diaz was just inducted into the ITA Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame alongside an all-star class that includes John Isner, Stevie Johnson, Kevin Anderson and John Frierson…he shares vivid memories of the early days of NCAA tennis in Athens, when Coach Dan Magill pioneered the fan-friendly touches — chairs, scoreboards, and a devoted host-family network — that turned the sport into a beloved local tradition.

From there, Manny takes listeners deep into his own path: the chance encounter with tennis at 13, training under the demanding Welby Van Horn, and an unannounced recruiting visit to Athens that ended with a full scholarship and a lifelong bond with Coach Dan Magill. He recounts the injury that redirected him toward coaching, the pivotal call that brought him back to Georgia as an assistant, and the championship runs that followed as head coach.

• Diaz's unlikely path from baseball-loving kid in Puerto Rico to two-time All-American at Georgia
• Behind-the-scenes stories from Georgia's NCAA hosting history and Coach Dan Magill's legacy
• The rotator cuff injury that changed the course of Diaz's career and led him into coaching
• Highlights from Georgia's national championship seasons, including 1999 and the 2001 Triple Crown
• Reflections on retirement, family, and passing the torch to current Head coach Jamie Hunt

The episode closes on a personal note, as Diaz talks candidly about the challenges of balancing a coaching career with family life, the pride of watching two of his sons play for the program he once led, and what retirement looks like now — pickleball, long bike rides, and a new chapter on Amelia Island. It's a heartfelt, detail-rich look at the people and traditions that built Georgia tennis into what it is today.

Bertis Downs' life reads like a map of the last sixty years of American music culture — and if you've ever wondered how a law student ends up managing and giving legal advise to R.E.M. this episode is for you.

Downs traces an extraordinary arc: a childhood shaped by his missionary family's years in Taiwan and the sudden loss of his father in a plane crash, followed by his mother raising three young boys alone. He landed in Clarkston, Georgia for his teenage years, then Davidson College, where a college radio show devoted almost entirely to the Allman Brothers Band planted the seed of his lifelong love of music — even as he pursued history and, eventually, law. A summer internship at the Fulton County Jail (and a chance bellhop gig serving the Rolling Stones) pointed him toward a legal career rooted in service, which brought him to the University of Georgia and, in turn, to a group of friends who would soon form R.E.M.

• Downs' early life: born in West Virginia, life in Taiwan as a missionary's son, and the family's return to Georgia after his father's death
• His path to Davidson College, a deepening love of music through campus radio and concert committees, and the pull toward law school
• How friendships with Bill Berry, Peter Buck, and the future members of R.E.M. formed years before the band's first show in Athens
• R.E.M.'s slow-build rise — from the Radio Free Europe single through Murmur, Reckoning, and the surprising six-year gap between tours that produced Out of Time and Automatic for the People
• What Downs and the band are doing today, from anniversary reissues to R.E.M.'s music finding new life in shows like The Bear

The conversation is warm and unhurried, full of the kind of specific, lived-in detail — freighter ships to Taiwan, ham radios, the 688 Club, Neil Young record recommendations from a young Peter Buck — that only someone who was actually there could offer. It's a great listen for R.E.M. fans, Athens locals, or anyone curious how a band builds a decades-long career entirely on its own terms.

"The Art of Looking: Rebecca Wood on Color, Clay, and Nature"

There's something deeply comforting about sitting down with someone who has spent their entire life following what genuinely brings them joy, and this conversation with Rebecca Wood is exactly that kind of gift. Host Lesley Platek welcomes listeners into a conversation about creativity, patience, and the slow, unglamorous work of building something meaningful from scratch — a reminder that the most beautiful things in life rarely happen on a fast timeline.

Rebecca Wood came to Athens in 1975 during the city's legendary arts and music boom, earned her art degree from UGA in 1977, and never left. What started as hand-painted fabrics and jewelry sold out of a Saturday shop on Dubose Street eventually grew into R.Wood Studio, now one of the largest pottery studios in America. Along the way, Rebecca shares the winding, often penniless path that led her there — from wanting to be an archaeologist and a weather girl, to painting portraits in Atlanta, to a life-changing $19,000 check from a Neiman Marcus buyer who believed in her before she'd even mastered ceramics.

• Rebecca's early life in the woods outside Atlanta, and how that unstructured freedom shaped her as an artist
• The scrappy, joyfully broke years in 1970s Athens, when $100 a month covered rent, food, and art supplies
• How a chance order from Neiman Marcus and an 18-year partnership with Sundance Catalog helped R.Wood Studio grow
• Her hiring philosophy (she hires for spirit, not resumes) and the tight-knit, supportive culture at the studio
• Her deep love of Japanese ikebana flower arranging and why staying connected to nature matters more than ever

The conversation closes on something quieter and more personal: Rebecca's lifelong pull toward nature, her monthly "Love Notes" essays, and her belief that beauty and stillness are things people need now more than ever. As R.Wood Studio celebrates its 35th anniversary, this episode is as much a portrait of Athens' creative spirit as it is of one woman who built a life around color, craft, and looking closely at the world around her.

This episode offers a warm and inspiring window into one of Athens' most celebrated athletes. Host Lesley Platek sits down with Terri Moody Hancock for a wide-ranging conversation that moves from golf fairways to pickleball courts — and reveals the quiet, quilting heart behind one of Georgia's greatest champions.

Terri Moody Hancock is a true Athens original — a two-time All-American at UGA, the 1981 Broderick Award winner and National Golfer of the Year, the first woman in Georgia history to earn a full athletic scholarship and the first women at UGA to win a National Championship. She went on to earn her LPGA Tour card and compete internationally, all while carrying the calm, unshakeable composure that defined her game. She has since been inducted into multiple halls of fame, including the National Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the Georgia State Sports Hall of Fame, the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame, and the Athens Athletic Hall of Fame.

In this episode

Terri and Lesley cover:

• Growing up in a golf family — from her grandfather's gifted country club membership to her father's SEC championship career at UGA
• Competing on the boys' golf team at Athens Academy before women's teams existed, and what it was like to outplay opponents who weren't expecting it
• Her standout moments as a Bulldog, including winning the individual national championship in a sudden-death playoff — with her mom walking all 21 holes on a broken toe
• Earning her LPGA Tour card, playing tournaments in Japan, and navigating life as a solo traveler before the era of coaches and entourages
• Life after golf: her passion for quilting, her love of pickleball, and the joy of watching her golf-phenom grandson Jackson compete

Terri's story is one of quiet confidence, deep family roots, and a competitive fire that never burned out — it just found new courts to play on. From sand shots to pickleball angles to hand-stitched baby quilts, this conversation is a reminder that the best athletes carry their gifts into every corner of life.