In Memory of Bimbo Brewer who passed away in January 2017. This interview was done in the year before his passing.
Bimbo Brewer is a story teller. To hear him talk about Hall County and what it was like when he was a kid growing up here is really something special. With a remarkable memory he is able to shed light on things like, “This house we are sitting in isn’t Norton’s house, this is Sue Stewart’s house.” And other stories, such as, “I remember riding my bike to Candler Street School and there were two maple trees that would turn right around Halloween. Everyone called them the Halloween trees.” It was great to hear about a “rite of passage” such as going to “Frierson-McEver Company” to buy clothes.
One story he shared was particularly interesting, the tale of his dear friend and Senator Richard B. Russell. It began with Bimbo on Dick Russell’s porch and a phone call. Brewer sat in the background and listened in on a conversation between the Senator and the President himself, Lyndon B. Johnson. The conversation ended on a rather crass note…or should we say, a way that you wouldn’t imagine speaking to the President of the United States of America.
Bimbo, having lived the life of many men, has been a journalist who studied at the University of Georgia, the Director of Public Relations at Brenau’s Women’s College and a “cowboy” on a ranch in Texas.
Some of his most interesting stories came from his adventures with his brother, which always began without direction or destination in mind. One adventure that he still wants to partake in, again, is to spend more time in Alberta and British Columbia. He described this place as, “the last unspoiled piece of wilderness.”
Bimbo was nominated by a friend of ours on Facebook and we reached out to him and were excited to get to meet with him. He answered some questions about his likes, interests and his amazing life to share with fellow members of our community:
Question: If you could give a piece of advice to a crowd of people what would you say?
Answer: “Be true to yourself and know who you are.”
Q: How long have you lived in Hall County?
A: “71 years. All of my life, this here is home.”
Q: What is your favorite social outing in Gainesville?
A: “The Deer Hunter Party at Don Carter’s camp. We have done it for years; also, anything at Brenau Auditorium.”
Q: What is your favorite movie?
A: “Legends of the Fall.”
Q: When have you felt the most satisfied in your life?
A: “When my wife finally agreed to marry me. I thought she had better taste than that.” We all laughed.
Q: If you could have lunch with anyone, alive and a non-relative, who would it be?
A: “Condoleezza Rice. Well, I think she is one of the most intelligent people to have ever lived. She is old school Washington, but young enough to keep up with the changes.”
- Where would you have this lunch? “I would love to have lunch with Condoleezza Rice at the Collegiate Grill.”
The Faces of Hall County is a project to showcase the amazing people that live or work in our community. If you would like to nominate an interesting person to be featured please email babernathy@gonorton.com.
