Melissa, Bill and HeatherWilliam (Bill) Lynn Tweedell was born in Sugar Valley (Gordon County), GA seventy-one years ago. His family relocated to Athens, GA when Bill was in the first grade, later moving to nearby Bogart when Bill was in second grade. His father was a skilled stone mason who built rock homes and his mother a homemaker. The family eventually returned to their roots to reside in Resaca, GA back in Gordon County. Bill graduated from Calhoun High School in 1962 and the University of Georgia in 1967 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy. His degree included marrying his wife Jo Ann in June 1967.
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Young BillBill’s professional career began with a stint in Toccoa, GA where he toiled for Pruitt’s Pharmacy as a rural pill pusher until March 1971. While working at Pruitt’s in Toccoa, Bill met Jimmy Carter as he campaigned for governor of Georgia. Later while working for Eckerd Drugs in Athens, Billy Carter came there.
After working in Winder, GA, Bill self-deported to work for Eckerd’s Drugs in Athens, GA in January 1972. Bill became convinced that if he worked for a pharmacy, this insured that the pharmacy would be sold. During his tenure as a pharmacist in the Athens area, he navigated through five buyout mergers with name changes and sometimes being relocated from one store to another but remaining in the Athens, GA area before retiring in 2010 from Rite Aid.
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Bill and familyBill and Jo Ann have three children – son, Kenneth, daughter, Melissa and daughter, Heather. Young Kenneth achieved family notoriety when he responded to a grade school exercise that his father’s work was to “sell drugs”. This led to the principal’s office for a further explanation. After Kenneth was older, he did something even worse, he became a politician. He is on the city council for Winterville, GA. Jo Ann suffered a heart attack in August 2010, and began attending cardiac rehab at St. Mary’s Hospital Wellness Center in Athens. Bill decided to join her in the exercises and was introduced to a treadmill, his first foray into running.
Daughter Melissa was into running at the time of her mother’s heart attack. Bill at age sixty-eight began to run with Melissa. He entered the Coach Mike 5K in 2012 and placed third in his age group. His daughter encouraged Bill to participate in more races and he became a fixture in Black Bag and Clover Glove races with younger daughter Heather. Bill and Heather ran the Butterfly Dreams 5K in 2013 and have continued running together. Bill achieved over 1,000 points in the Run and See Grand Prix and over 400 points in the Black Bag Race Series in 2014. In 2015 he is giving Herman Sasser and Jim Latimer stiff competition in the over age 70 geezer division.
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Bill’s hobbies beyond obviously running include displaying his vintage 1978 Chevy truck in classic car venues with his son Kenneth. Bill enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren. Bill and Jo Ann reside in Hull, Ga near Athens. Hull is so small that if Bill ever contracts dementia, he cannot get lost! His favorite races are any at the Sandy Creek Nature Center, and any race where he beats Herman Sasser and Jim Latimer! Bill encourages race directors to conduct awards in the sequence of starting with the senior members of the running community before awarding winners in the younger age groups.
Look for the profile of Athens senior wonder Marge Finnerty and on age group leading Herman Sasser.