Darlington School is saddened by the passing of one of its most distinguished alumni, Gov. Samuel Ernest Vandiver Jr. (’36) of Lavonia, Ga., the state’s 73rd governor. Vandiver, 86, had been associated with the School for three quarters of its 100-year history, most recently serving as honorary chairman of the School’s Centennial Celebration.
“Gov. Vandiver was our unanimous choice to represent all that Darlington stands for at this historical juncture in her life,” said Betty Wright Ledbetter, chairperson of the Centennial Committee. “He personified our motto of wisdom, service and honor, and represented the past, present and future of this School. His loyalty of service over the years both to Darlington and to the people of Georgia is unparalleled, and few match his family’s connection to the School over three generations. We have lost a great friend, a great statesman and a great man.”
As a Darlington student, Vandiver was awarded the J.M. Proctor Medal as a member of the debate team. Years later, in 1988, he received the School’s highest honor, the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
“Recipients of this award are honored for notable career achievements; service to the community, state or nation; service to the arts, sciences or humanitarian causes; or loyalty to Darlington School, and Vandiver had distinguished himself in all of these areas,” said Dr. Bob Hortman (’72), former president of the Alumni Association.
After Vandiver’s graduation from Darlington in 1936, he had enrolled at the University of Georgia, and served as president of five student organizations. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1940 and a law degree in 1942, and soon left to join the Army. He served in the Air Corp as a B-17 Pilot during World War II, and as a prosecutor and defense counsel in JAG Corp.
In 1946, 27-year-old Vandiver was elected mayor of Lavonia, the youngest mayor in the state, and in 1948, he was appointed by the newly elected Gov. Herman Talmadge to be Georgia’s Adjutant General, a post he held until 1954 when he was elected lieutenant governor. In 1959, Vandiver was elected governor of Georgia by a landslide, carrying 156 out of 159 counties and over 80 percent of the popular vote.
“Vandiver’s record of public service brings distinction to himself and to his alma mater,” said Bruce Watterson, associate vice president for public relations. “During his tenure, Vandiver facilitated the successful integration of the University of Georgia. Known as a peacemaking pragmatist during the Civil Rights movement, his efforts prevented this state from experiencing the complications that other southern states endured.”
Vandiver also served twice as Adjutant General of the Georgia National Guard.
As a private citizen, he served as chairman of a 1963 Rapid Transit Committee of 100, which helped lobby for a commuter train network, now MARTA, in metro-Atlanta. After retiring, he enjoyed life as a Lavonia banker and cattleman. In January of 1997, the stretch of Interstate 85 from the Banks-Franklin county line in northeast Georgia, 22 miles north to the South Carolina border, was named in his honor.
”My life has been uplifted by the presence of this great man,” said Gordon Neville (’55), director of the J. Daniel Hanks Sr. Heritage Society. “His life of unselfish and honorable service to his home community and to our great state of Georgia best epitomizes the values and strengths he drew upon from his experience as a student at Darlington.
“I feel privileged to have known Gov. and Mrs. Vandiver during the years their son, Chip, and granddaughter, Leigh, were boarding students. Gov. Vandiver spoke fondly of his own student days at Darlington, and was proud of the fact that his family members also graduated from his alma mater,” he continued. “Darlington has been truly blessed by the presence of each member of the Vandiver family who has graduated from this School, and we are deeply grateful for and very proud of their loyal association with and support of our mission and endeavors. ”
The funeral will be held Thursday, Feb. 24 at 11 a.m. at Lavonia First Baptist Church. Burial will be in the Lavonia-Burgess City Cemetery with full military honors.
Vandiver is survived by his wife, the former Sybil Elizabeth “Betty” Russell of Lavonia; son, Samuel Ernest “Chip” Vandiver III (’66) and his wife Michelle of Lavonia; daughters, Vanna Elizabeth “Beth” Vandiver of Lavonia and Jane Vandiver Kidd and her husband David of Athens, Ga.; and grandchildren, Frances Elizabeth Kidd of Atlanta, Regina Leigh Vandiver (’98) of Darien, Ga., David Alexander “Alex” Kidd of Oxford, Miss., and Samuel Ernest Russell Vandiver of Lavonia. The Darlington community extends its deepest sympathy to the Vandiver family. Click here to read eulogies given by
Chip Vandiver and
Rev. Dr. Larry Finger at the memorial service held Feb. 24, 2005 at First Baptist Church of Lavonia, Ga.
