Smith: Butch Mulherin

Butch Mulherin, the first orthopedic MD to hang out his shingle in Athens, was a Georgia native, a Bulldog football letterman, and a man of good humor with a deep and abiding passion for following a birddog through the brush and bramble of family acreage near Damascus in deep Southwest Georgia.

Smith: Have you heard of Gardi?

This unincorporated community, seven miles south of Jesup on U. S. 341, has a population of 85.That is what Wikipedia says about this settlement I have been passing through for decades.

Smith: Tommy Lawhorne was an athlete who excelled on the field and in the classroom at UGA

Recently at a beachside gathering, Bill Griffin invited Tommy and Susan Lawhorne to join friends for a social outing at which the conversational theme focused on the University of Georgia.Bill and Tommy have much in common.

Smith: ‘Drought Breaker’ inducted into Sports HOF

Theron Sapp was among 10 inductees to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame last month. He was a 200-pound, hard-charging fullback.

Smith: Coastal Georgia town of Darien

This charming coastal enclave is a banana split town. If that causes a mite of head scratching, just remember what was said about that tasty treat in years past — that one banana split was never enough.Likewise, one visit here is shortchanging oneself.

Smith: Spring training 2025

With spring training underway, there is that itch to pack up the car, head south to the Sunshine State, and spend a fortnight visiting the big-league training camps on both coasts.For years, the majority of teams trained in Florida.

Smith: Super Philly Dawgs

With 57 former Georgia players with their names on National Football League rosters, it is often difficult to pull for one team over the other. Still, I was happily lined up supporting the Eagles for the Super Bowl.

Smith: Beauty of Pebble Beach

I must confess that I am mesmerized by the Monterey Peninsula and Pebble Beach, even when I see them on television. The area is spectacular and sensational.Surely, the Creator modeled it after the “Garden of Eden.

Smith: Super Bowl musings

We are one step closer to the upcoming Super Bowl when Georgia will extend its record to 24 straight seasons with a former player in the NFL’s championship game. Georgia is the only school to boast such an impressive streak.

Smith: A devoted UGA friend will be missed

The University of Georgia never had a more excellent friend than John Francis McMullan. He was a devoted alumnus, passionate football fan, scholarly overachiever, and generous donor with a historical bent for family genealogy, the history of this state, and an unrestrained love of America.