Georgia and Georgians - the Digital Library of Georgia

2960 GEORGIA AND GEORGIANSand his words ring true. In mature manhood men trust him just as didthe factory hands when, as a youth, he went among them with sinceredesire to help, spending his leisure hours in making plans for their welfare,and helping to carry them out. Although he speaks of it to no one, thereare a number of young men who have been assisted in procuring an education, through his generosity. In the larger duties and in a wider fieldthat have come with years he has not changed, but still finds life greatestpleasure in lending a hand or giving a kind word when- either are needed.Whenever a public occasion demands a speaker, not only of brilliance, butof tact and good judgment, one certain to say the right thing at the righttime and in the right way, the managers always endeavor to secure theservices of Mr. Walker, who has never failed to meet the highest expectations. While attending college he won his first oratorical honors. He wasprominent in the literary societies and established the first intercollegiatedebating system between the University of Georgia and the University ofNorth Carolina, and was a member of the winning team in the first debatebetween these two institutions in 1896. He also established the college paper,The Georgian, a literary magazine which is published monthly, of whichhe was the first editor. Mr. Walker is a Mason and is also connected withthe Odd Fellows, the Red Men and the Knights of Pythias, of which lastorder he is at present supreme representative, and in 1910 filled the officeof Grand Chancellor of the State of Georgia.Mr. Walker was united in marriage on April 29, 1902, at Atlanta, Georgia,with Miss Rosa Mathewson, a sister of Dr. S. Y. Mathewson, the presenthead of Mercer University and a daughter of Rufus A. and Lucinda (Carter)Mathewson. Mr. and Mrs. Walker have two children: Harold, born June2, 1911, and B. Sanders, Jr., born November, 1913. Mrs. Walker.is anactive church woman and a social leader, a lady of varied accomplishmentsand a member of the Athenaeum Literary Club, of Monroe.THOMAS P. WESTMORELAND. There can be no measure of uncertainty orindecision in placing high value upon the character and services of the lateJudge Thomas P. Westmoreland, who, as a lawyer, jurist and citizen, wrotehis name large and benignantly upon the history of Atlanta, in which cityhe long stood as one of the distinguished and representative members of theGeorgia bar, besides which he served with signal ability on the bench of theCriminal Court of the capital city and metropolis of-the state, having been,in fact, the first person appointed judge of this important tribunal. Hischaracter was the positive expression of a strong, noble and loyal nature, hisattainments were of high order, he was tolerant and considerate in his association with his fellow men and he left a record of worthy thoughts andworthy deeds, so that there is all of consistency in according to him a memorial tribute in this history of the state which he dignified and honored by hischaracter and services.Judge Westmoreland was born in Greenville County, South Carolina, onthe 5th of August, 1844, and at his home in Atlanta he was summoned to thelife eternal on the 26th of April, 1914, secure in the high regard of all whoknew him and had appreciation of his sterling attributes of character. Theancestral record of Judge Westmoreland is one of not a little distinctionand bears evidence of the family identification with America for. more thana century and a half. The original American progenitors were three brothers,Robert, William and Thomas Westmoreland, who were natives of Westmoreland County, England, the fact that the family name and that of the countyare identical giving evidence that the Westmoreland family was one ofprominence in England. In 1746 the three brothers, of whom Robert wasthe ancestor of the subject of this memoir, emigrated from their native landto America, one of the number settling in Virginia, another in North Carolina,