Off the Deaton Path

Stan looks at the history of this quadrennial event that goes back 232 years, from the Bible Washington used to the only inauguration held on an airplane, the only president sworn in by a woman, two inaugurals almost cancelled by cold weather, and why there have been 9 “non-scheduled extraordinary” inaugurations. 

This week’s guest is Keith Mason, a Gwinnett County native who served as Governor Zell Miller’s Chief of Staff and in President Bill Clinton’s administration. He was instrumental in the passage of the Georgia Lottery and the Hope Scholarship. Keith discusses political figures past and future, including Zell Miller, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, James Carville, Paul Begala, Roy Barnes, Stacey Abrams, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and more. 

For Halloween, Stan tells four of his favorite stories of people who simply vanished into thin air: The story of one of our Founding Fathers who vanished while mailing a letter; the most famous maritime missing persons mystery ever; the story of a man who literally was there one minute and gone the next; and finally perhaps the most notorious missing person case of the 20th century. Plus This Week in History: Duane Allman, King Tut, Jimmy Carter, Juliette Gordon Low, and more.

This week Stan interviews Pulitzer Prize-winner Rick Atkinson about the first volume of his new Revolution trilogy, The British Are Coming: The War for America, Volume 1: Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777.  Rick discusses researching at Windsor Castle, George III’s handwriting, walking the battlefields, Washington’s leadership, and plays “Overated/Underated.” All this plus another edition of the ever-popular This Week in History.

In our first podcast of the season, Stan talks to Sarah Milov of the University of Virginia about her recent book The Cigarette: A Political History, and about the fascinating history of smoking and anti-smoking in America–including a snippet of the creepy Johnny Smoke PSA from the late ’60s. We also check out “This Week in History,” from Jimmy Carter to Janis Joplin to Tomochichi, “Obituaries You Were Too Busy to Notice,” and this week’s edition of “People You Thought Were Dead but are Still Living.” 

Stan talks to Jim Galloway, a 40-year veteran of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the lead writer and founder of the AJC’s Political Insider blog, the best-read and most influential political blog in the state. Jim talks about Georgia’s changing demographics and their effect on Georgia politics, Donald Trump in historical context, the future of newspapers and the American Republic—and Steve Oney’s influence on his career. Also this week: the ever-popular This Week in History, and a tribute to Pulitzer-Prize winning historian William S. Mcfeely.

“It’s my job to see the noble aspect of everything.” Stan interviews artist Ross Rossin, winner of the 2019 GHS Berrien Award for Lifetime Achievement in GA History.

This week’s special guest is 95-year-old Fred Mingledorff,

GHS President and CEO Todd Groce joins Stan for a discussion about the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion and liberation of Fortress Europe—what happened in 1944, its importance in World War II and the defeat of Nazi Germany, and what it all means 75 years later.