As a child, John Namon Lilly III always had an interest in the stock market and after the market crash of 1989 he decided he had to know how the “wealth for so many disappeared in a day.”
Lilly, as many call him, is a 24 year resident of Hall County and works at the Wells Fargo Financial branch on Spring Street. He played on the University of Georgia basketball team and notes their 1991 win against Georgia Tech as one of his favorite memories.
In recent years, Lily has traded the basketball court for the stage and has been featured as a “guest performer” in 11 Gainesville Ballet productions.
As you can see, Lilly’s interests are as diverse as the stock portfolios he manages. We recently caught up with him to ask some questions about his life, interests and love of Hall County.
Question: “What is your favorite restaurant in Hall County?”
Answer: “Lawrence Pharmacy. I value the fellowship at the table.”
Q: “If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
A: “London, England so I could see the Arsenal Gunners play (his favorite soccer team). I named my son, Gunner after them.”
Q: “What advice would you give a crowd of people?”
A: “Preach the gospel to yourself every day.”
Q: “What former local business makes you the most nostalgic about Hall County?”
A: “Thai Dish”Â
Q: “What is your favorite thing about Hall County?”
A: “The community. Everybody knows everybody.”
Q: “What is your favorite movie OR what is the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?”
A: “My favorite movie is ‘Chariots of Fire.’ I wanted to be Eric Little. The first movie I saw was ‘The Blob’ and it was part of a triple feature.”
Q: “Who is the most interesting person you have met here in Hall County?”
A: “Rufus Brown and Ben Martin because of the stories they can tell.”
Q: “Choosing anyone alive and a non-relative: with whom would you love to have lunch?
A: “Tim Keller.”
Q: “Since you have basketball experience on a collegiate level, what advice would you give to an aspiring young athlete?”
A: “Practice, practice, practice. That’s all there is to it.”
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.
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