Years ago, Reader’s Digest published a periodic feature under the heading of “The Most Unforgettable Character I Ever Met.”
There were remarkable profiles of such famous people as Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson; Thomas Edison by his son, Charles; Eleanor Roosevelt by journalist Emma Bugbee; and Chuck Jones by his cartoon creation, Bugs Bunny.
The Digest also connected with ordinary people who left their mark on society, including a woman chimney sweep and helicopter pioneer Igor Sikorsky.
Last Sunday, there was a gathering of 10-dozen or more family and friends of the late Norman King at Johnnie’s Hideaway on Roswell Road in Atlanta to remember the most unforgettable character who ever dressed out in silver britches between the hedges of Sanford Stadium.
His son, Mike, organized the tribute with able assistance from his daughters Kendall Isaacs and Christian Taylor, old friends, a few teammates, drinking buddies, and those who enjoyed his company for a day a weekend, or a lifetime.
It was Norman who originated the concept of extended-stay lodging. He would show up out of the blue, and a friend would invite him to hang out for a couple of days. Then five years later … well, you know the rest of the story.
This iconoclast with the most winsome personality and a bank account that was always overdrawn was the son of a preacher man and found adventure every day in whatever came his way. He never met a stranger, and he never worried about being broke. Breaking even was good enough for him, but even those times were few and far between.
This is the way it was in the early ‘60s. Norman married a classic beauty with supermodel good looks by the name of Gaye Boardman. He arranged a brief honeymoon stay at Callaway Gardens.
He did not own a car, and if Gaye had been up for it, he and she would have hitchhiked to Pine Mountain. Coming to the rescue, however, was Jimmy Harper, the longtime Southeastern Conference referee and one-time Georgia quarterback.
Harper told Norman to take the keys to his new Oldsmobile for the weekend and that he would see him the following Monday. A week later, Norman called the exasperated Harper from New Orleans, letting him know he would return Harper’s Olds in a couple of days.
That story was one of many that regaled those who gathered to pay tribute to one of the greatest pure athletes ever to wear the Red-and-Black and the most colorful character to have walked the campus of the University of Georgia.
Too bad Reader’s Digest failed to send a writer to Athens for a sit down with Norman, who was bright enough for Phi Betta Kappa honors, except that attending class for Norman was as appealing as sitting for a root canal.
A highlight of the celebration was a taped interview with South African Gary Player, the accomplished golfer who knew Norman well. The way that came about was through a mutual friend from Atlanta, Bob Witcher, who went over to run Player’s business empire.
They called Norman and invited him to join them. All it took was a plane ticket. He became close friends with the Players (Gary and his wife Vivienne), staying with them, and partying with them. The player introduced Norman to such accomplished people as Ian Smith, the prime minister of old Rhodesia.
He also introduced Norman to Bobby Locke, the South African golfer who won the British Open four times. They became close friends and were frequent golf partners during Norman’s five-year stay in South Africa. During this time Norman’s golf handicap was an enviable 2, more evidence of just how naturally athletic the former Bulldog was.
From South Africa, Norman moved on with Witcher to Australia, where he became a successful businessman, returning to Atlanta after 10 years on the longest sabbatical he ever experienced.
For all the wild oats he sowed and the unconventional lifestyle he embraced, Norman King loved his alma mater and was a man with a good heart.