Winecoff Fire Authors Speak at Georgia Tech
![]() | |
Winecoff Fire co-authors Allen B. Goodwin (L) and Sam Heys (R) |
![]() | |
Winecoff Fire co-authors Allen B. Goodwin (L) and Sam Heys (R) |
![]() |
Ruth Powell, 16 |
When Winecoff Fire reader, Ashley Webb, 35, found an old photo among her grandmother's effects she started asking questions but got few answers from her family. "She was killed in a hotel fire," she was told. No further details were forthcoming so she reached out to winecoff.org. We determined her photo is of her grandmother's sister, Winecoff fire victim, Ruth Powell, 16. Ruth was in Atlanta on December 7, 1946 as a Youth Assembly delegate from Bainbridge, Ga.
We arranged a phone call between Ashley and Sara Parker, 92, who knew Ruth Powell well. The two women spoke for fifty minutes and Sara shared her wonderful and vivid memories of Ruth Powell. "Ruth was just the sweetest and funniest, always in the best mood, laughing and fun," person to be with. Ashley was thankful for the call and the women made plans to meet. More here.
Ashley Webb's e-mail inquiry to winecoff.org is here.
Labels: Bainbridge, Photographs, Youth Assembly
New construction on campus has forced the plaque to be moved a few times over the years. This latest outside placement is in a prominent space on campus and is easily visible to visitors. Originally a wall plaque, it's now affixed to a large smoothed stone and looks excellent.
Listen to Sandra Parrish's WSB Radio News report here. See Berndt Petersen's WSB-TV News report here. See Paola Suro's WXIA-TV News report here.
Labels: Gainesville, Multi-Media, Remembrances, Youth Assembly
Winecoff fire victims Suzanne Moore, Ella Sue Mitchum, Gwen McCoy & Francis Thompson |
Labels: Gainesville, Photographs, Remembrances, Youth Assembly
In Atlanta, December 7th is a date that lives in infamy for two reasons: the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and the 1946 Winecoff Hotel fire. Veteran Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Bo Emerson has written an article for publication December 7th. But the article is already available for viewing on AJC.com, the newspaper's pay-to-read internet service that is free for regular subscribers. Emerson's 75th anniversary article is here.
Update: Bo Emerson's article has been picked up by the Columbus Ledger-Inquirer as well as the U.S. News & World Report website via the Associated Press. Read it here.
Labels: Remembrances
The Winecoff Fire: The Untold Story of America's Deadliest Hotel Fire is now available in e-book and audio-book form.
The e-book is here.
The audio-book is available on Audible, Google Play, Chirp,
Scribd and Rakuten Kobo.
Labels: Multi-Media
![]() |
Gladys Goodson and son, Joe III, circa 1943 |
Labels: Photographs
![]() |
Grover C. Williams 1939 |
Friday night in Atlanta, the war was over and a festive atmosphere pervaded the city. After a night on the town, 35-year-old Grover Williams and a buddy were looking for a room. They stopped by the 15-story Winecoff Hotel but were told it was already full for the night. No vacancy. So they walked a short distance to the corner of Houston and Pryor Streets and checked into the Avon Hotel.
When silence finally descended on the city, the men were safe in the Avon. Then came the commotion on Peachtree Street: a cacophony of screams and sirens. One man said it sounded like the crowd at a football game.
Out of the Army and back on the job with Atlanta's Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Williams and his buddy went to investigate. What they saw shocked Williams into a life of silence on the subject.
![]() |
The Winecoff Hotel December 7, 1946 |
A scene of horror played out before a growing crowd on Peachtree Street. Fire was working its way up the Winecoff, forcing guests out of their windows. They saw a shower of window screens, suitcases, broken glass - and bodies - falling from the hulking brick structure.
A once in a lifetime test of courage lay before the two men. His buddy peeled off, done for the night, but Grover Williams stepped up. He helped Atlanta firefighters with a net on the Peachtree Street side of the building. Suddenly, Dr. Bob Cox, 33, and his three-year-old son struck the net from high above. Dr. Cox's head struck the net's rim, killing him, but his son, little Bob, landed on the net and was scooped up by Williams, who took him to an ambulance bound for Grady Hospital.
![]() |
Williams worked 36 years for the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. in Atlanta. |
Labels: Eyewitnesses, Photographs, Survivors