Amy alleges that she came from a long line of “non-exercisers”. Yet her grandparents who raised her in rural Bleckley County, Georgia maintained their one-hundred-year old farmhouse, tended a half acre garden, and a granddaughter. Her childhood was spent exploring creeks, searching for arrowheads, and fishing. Amy had friends, but mostly entertained herself with these daytime activities and keeping her nose in a book in the evening. Her grandparents instilled in her the importance of obtaining an education and working hard. She remembers her grandmother shucking corn and freezing vegetables for the winter. Amy recalls “many times I complained about being tasked with picking peas or butterbeans while fighting off gnats and sheer boredom, and I’m ashamed of myself!”
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Her grandfather could fix anything, including Amy. After a career in civil service in the procurement division at Robins Air Force Base, he opened “Tinker Tom’s Fix It Shop”. Amy’s grandfather greatly influenced Amy’s early years with his service to his community tempered with a sense of humor and being a strict disciplinarian. He was a former school board chairman, deacon in their community Baptist Church, and a veteran. Amy played tennis, basketball, and was on the yearbook staff at Bleckley County High School. After graduation she attended Middle Georgia College, Georgia College and State University, and later Mercer University graduating with a Master’s Degree in Family Therapy.
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Amy had a variety of jobs during her high school and college years from picking peaches to typesetting to tutoring Spanish. Although not her native language, Amy was on track to become a Spanish teacher in college until she encountered a Spanish poetry class that changed her point of view! She occasionally gave tennis lessons, and was even a courier. Her first professional job was as a probation officer. She later entered law enforcement and has served the past eight years in this capacity in the Atlanta Metro area. The first rule of law enforcement is to not divulge enough personal information that would aid former arrestees to learn too much about a law enforcement official’s person or family, hence no additional information on Amy’s present duties. Unfortunately our society has come to this juncture to allow our law enforcement personnel to go home safely at night.
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December 19, 2013 Amy decided that her life needed an overhaul. Amy quit smoking, and decided that she was going to train for a 5k race. She had discussed smoking cessation because of her family health history with her physician for months but used the excuse of stress to avoid implementing the decision to do so. Amy started utilizing the “Couch to 5k” APP. She followed the program to the letter and on May 31, 2014 ran her first 5K, coming in fourth in her age group. Amy enjoyed the race so much that she started running 5K’s every weekend. She met running friends in the Clover Glove Series, Black Bag Race Series, Middle Georgia Runners for Christ Series, and the Decatur Grand Slam Series. Her favorite races are the Monastery 5K held on the grounds of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, the Run with the Dogs in Decatur, and the Zombie Run held at the Guardian Center in Perry, Georgia. Amy was first in the age 35-39 female age group in the Clover Glover Race Series in 2015, and fourth in the same very competitive age group in the Run and See Georgia Series and the Black Bag race Series.
If you see Amy receiving an award at a race, take the time to thank her for her service as I do with this profile. Bob checking out from the back of the pack. Look for the profiles on Jimmy Worley and Sue Chastain.