“Big Man on Campus” turns 90

Earlier this month, Dave Wilkinson (ABJ ’89), featured to the left here, reached out to let UGA Alumni Association staff know that his father was turning 90 today. Dave shared so many great details about his father’s time on campus that he was invited to serve as today’s guest blogger. Enjoy this special post about one of UGA’s outstanding graduates.

We are all proud of our UGA heritage. We share fond memories of football Saturdays and library Sundays. We watched the ancient trees on North Campus shed their leaves in autumnal breezes. We faced the challenge of traveling a mile across campus to make our next class in 15 minutes or less! From the dorms and dining halls to the Tate Center and Legion Pool, we learned to live and loved to learn at UGA. We worked hard. We played hard. We found ourselves at Georgia and left with Georgia in our hearts and souls!

Many of us are children or relatives of UGA alumni. I am honored to share the story of my dad, an outstanding alumnus who turns 90 this month. His name is Albert Mims Wilkinson, Jr., and you would know him as “Mims.”

Mims graduated from Decatur Boys High School at the age of 16 in 1942. He attended Emory University then transferred to the University of Georgia. At the age of 18, he joined the U.S. Coast Guard. He was assigned to the USS Evansville, Patrol Frigate 70, as a radar operator; Radarman, Third Class. After 2.5 years of active duty, mostly on submarine patrol in the North Atlantic, Mims was discharged having earned the American Defense Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the U.S. Navy Pistol Marksmanship Medal.

In June 1946, Mims re-enrolled at the University of Georgia. The following year, he entered the UGA School of Law. He was elected Campus Leader in 1947 to represent all non-fraternity men on campus. While at UGA, he was elected to Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society, Blue Key Honor Society, the Gridiron Secret Society, and the Sphinx Club, UGA’s oldest honorary society. He was a member of both the Demosthenian Literary Society and the Phi Kappa Literary Society. Mims was a charter member of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity. He was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 1948 and was elected president of the Georgia Law School Senior Class the next year.

Dad began to practice law in Atlanta in 1950. He practiced in all Georgia and federal trial and appellate courts, including the United States Supreme Court. He was a member or chairman of various committees of the Atlanta and Georgia bar associations, and served as chairman of the American Bar Association Committee on the Trial of Commercial Claims. Mims was a charter member of the Georgia Chapter of the American Trial Lawyers Association. He authored a book on contract law in Georgia which sold out two editions. He was Honorary Legal Advisor to the British Consul-General in Atlanta from 1970 until 2000. For his service to the Crown, he was awarded membership in the Order of the British Empire in 1985.

Dad was a tough act to follow at UGA. He credits the University of Georgia with preparing him for success in all of his endeavors. He was just one of so many great alumni who paved the way for us. We can all be grateful for those who established and helped grow this great institution. I am especially grateful to the University of Georgia Alumni Association for its ongoing service to the university and its alumni and friends. It’s great to be a Georgia Bulldog!

HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY, DAD!