Interview by Abernathy Cochran intern and Gainesville High School senior John Jessup
Meet Adrian Niles! Adrian is the Chief Operations Officer for Gainesville City School System and has been living in the community for 62 years. Adrian is married to Linda, and is the father to Micah and Julian, and the grandfather to Jada and Nova.
We want to thank Mr. Niles for spending time with us recently and telling us more about his life and love of Hall County.
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
A: “My wife’s name is Linda and we’ve been married for 29 years. We have a daughter, Micah and a son, Julian. My daughter, Micah, lives here, and she has a 22 year-old daughter, Jada. My son lives in Chapel Hill, N.C., and he has a one year-old daughter, Nova.”
Q: Please tell us about your current career. What do you love most about what you do?
A: “I am the Chief Operations Officer at Gainesville City School System. What I love about my job is the kids and the impact that we can have on our kids. And then seeing projects come to fruition, seeing facilities and operations that really work like they should work. All of that’s really fulfilling with my job and just being part of the admin team with the system. I’m bi-vocational, so I’m here on a full-time basis, of course, but I also pastor a church here in Gainesville-Hall County full-time as well. And that’s where I get the top notch gratification.”
Q: If someone asked you what’s different or what makes Gainesville City School system unique?
A: “I haven’t worked in another school system but I think what sets us apart, I’m not saying other systems don’t have it, but I do know that we have a genuine care and concern that our children really grow, that they excel and it’s not cliche, but that they really do become global citizens and be apt and able and capable of doing well and succeeding. I think that’s at the core of who we are.”
Q: What are a couple of your favorite restaurants in our community?
A: “I love Avocados, Scott’s, and Luna’s is nice. And then, El Sombrero or 2 Dog, we like the local restaurants, local flair.”
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?
A: “I’ve worked in the community for about 40 years. I’ve lived in the community for 62 years. Went off to school, came right back here and went to work with the City of Gainesville. Started out with Gainesville Police Department, then Gainesville Fire Department and then Public Works Department and I retired as Public Works Director.”
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?
A: “I’ve met so many people that’s interesting. I’d throw names out like Garland Reynolds, Carlyle Cox and Abit Massey has been very, very interesting and influential. Also, Myrtle Figueras, she is really cool and going back to, my childhood, a lady named Miss Beulah Rucker, she had a tremendous influence. In church settings, there was a deacon at Antioch Church named Robert Martin. He’s passed but he was a tremendous influence on me.”
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
A: “Rome, Italy. That’s on my bucket list. I want to see the Vatican City.”
Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
A: “TV shows, I watch a lot of the Food Network, I also enjoyed ‘Longmire,’ that entire series.”
Q: What advice would you want to give or leave with people?
A: “I’d tell anyone to live, not just be alive, but to live…there’s so many opportunities around us that we never take advantage of, there’s so many things that we could do in life that we never do. We just stay in our boxes. And so I think a lot of times we are alive, but we’re not living.”
Q: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about our community?
A: “I think the ‘Times,’ because there is all of the history compiled and kept in one place. Old articles and old news feeds and you can go back as far as the time goes back and pull up an old story, pull up what Gainesville looked like 100 years ago.”
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
A: “I think Gainesville is a unique place to live. I’ve experienced it firsthand. I think it’s just a great place where everybody’s valued, somewhat of a melting pot to me…I think that Gainesville has a great deal of people who push for the beloved community.”
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
A: “Retired and traveling and fulfilling the bucket list.”
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
A: “Besides going to Rome, one of my bucket lists is becoming debt free. I’m not just talking about being out of debt, I mean also being able to financially handle whatever comes our way or be able to do things that we want to do. And again, without accumulating more debt. Also, travel, enjoy time with family and watch my grandkids grow.”
Q: What is something that you have been proud to check off your bucket?
A: “Continued growth and development of our church, first and foremost. And to continue to experience the love of family and accomplishments here on the job.”
Q: What is your go to band when you cant decide what to listen to?
A: “I love still listening to some old Journey. I love R&B, I love Earth, Wind & Fire, The Isley Brothers, Journey. I used to listen to the Eagles a lot and of course, I love playing gospel music.”
Q: What is the most beautiful place you have ever been?
A: “I start to say Phoenix, but we went to a little island near Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and I think that was probably one of the most beautiful places in Dominican Republic. We went to Phoenix and then to Sedona, Arizona.”
Q: Who would you want to play you in a movie about your life?
A: “My son, Julian.”
Q: What is one of your favorite Bible verses?
A: “James 4:2; ‘You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask’. It means for me, one, that you really do have a God who’s able to not be Santa Claus but to help you achieve and accomplish and fulfill but you’ve got to invite him into the process and get Him involved in our everyday affairs.”
