Wednesday, February 27, 2002
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Wednesday, February 27, 2002 |
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'Bo' Ingram dead at 81 By MONROE
ROARK
One of Fayette County's most prominent figures during the past 50 years has died. Judge A.O. "Bo" Ingram Sr. died Wednesday, Feb. 20, at Fayette Community Hospital. He was 81. His wife, Bess, passed away Jan. 26. "He wasn't going to leave her for very long, was he?" said their daughter, Bonnie Epps-Long of Peachtree City. His impressive record of public service included a stint as mayor of Fayetteville in the 1960s and 14 years as a Fayette County Magistrate judge until 1997. He was also chief of the Fayetteville Volunteer Fire Department and an EMT coordinator. Before coming to Fayetteville, he served as chairman of the Ware County Board of Commissioners while living and working in Waycross. A prominent businessman in the area, he owned and operated Ingram's Red Dot Grocery Store, Ingram's Washeterias, Ingram's Supermarket, Ingram's TV & Appliance, Ingram's Florist, and Glynn Wedding Chapel. One of his most notable associations was his membership in the Coffee Club, a group that for more than 40 years has met seven days a week at Melear's Barbeque in Fayetteville. He and a number of other local citizens would gather to share in discussions of various topics and local gossip. "He was dedicated to his community," said Chief Magistrate Judge Kenneth Melear, owner of the restaurant. "He was the type of person that would try to help everybody." One of Melear's favorite recollections is how Ingram demonstrated his dedication to the Coffee Club by riding in one morning on his lawnmower, with headlights on, after his car wouldn't start. "He was determined he was going to be here every morning," said Melear, who has placed a bow on Ingram's chair at the head of the table where the club congregates. Ingram began serving as magistrate judge in 1983. He set bond for defendants, heard pleas and presided over misdemeanor criminal cases and small civil cases. He was also a justice of the peace, and he enjoyed officiating at weddings. After he left the bench, he opened the wedding chapel next to the flower shop and presided over as many as seven weddings in a single Valentine's Day. His most notable ceremony was that of Evander and Janice Holyfield, whom he did not even recognize until he saw the former heavyweight boxing champion's name on the check after the ceremony. The Holyfields married in late 1996, one month before Evander defeated Mike Tyson for the title. Ingram was buried Saturday. Both his and his wife's services were officiated by their son-in-law, the Rev. Dr. Rick Long, pastor of Hopewell United Methodist Church in Tyrone, where they attended the past few years, according to their daughter. Ingram's service included a flag-draped coffin, signifying the World War II veteran's military service. He also is survived by a son, A.O. and Margaret Ingram Jr. of Conyers; daughter Tommy and Judy Rivers of Haddam, Conn.; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, along with a brother, a sister, an aunt and a number of nieces and nephews. "We lost a significant member of the community," said Fayetteville Mayor Kenneth Steele. "He was a treasure to Fayetteville and Fayette County; a public servant in many areas, loved and respected by every one he came in contact with."
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