Hill Parks Redwine II: Founded in 1978, the Atlanta Improvement Company was headed by Hill Parks Redwine II as its president from 1990 until his death on June 3, 2018.
In January of 2018, Parks lost his wife of four plus decades, Emily Hightower Redwine, who had suffered a debilitating dementia for several years. His loving care for her and his refusal to leave her out of many of his events inspired admiration among his many friends.
With more than 45 years’ experience in banking and the wine trade, Parks was a wine writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution from 1976 through 1981, writing under the name Richard P. McKenzie, and under his own name for Southern Homes magazine in the late 1980s.
A professional wine judge, Parks had participated in many prestigious competitions such as the Los Angeles County Fair 1977-1984, the Oregon State Fair 1982-1982, the Concours du Vin at Bourg/Blaye held in conjunction with Bordeaux’s VINEXPO 1989-1999, and the Foire aux Orange in the southern Rhône 2001.
He served as the chief judge of the Atlanta Wine Festival’s Competition 1983-1990, its successor the Atlanta Wine Summit 1991 – 2000, The Wine Lovers International Wine Competition 1996-1997, the VinoChallenge International 2001-present, the Northwest Wine Summit 1996 – 2018, the Southwest Wine Summit and the Georgia Trustees Wine Challenge, which he co-founded in 2015.
The Georgia Trustees Wine Challenge honors his memory and his passion for the growth and development of the state’s post-Prohibition wine community.
Jane Garvey: An alumna of the University of Georgia, Jane earned three degrees in Romance Languages. Also, she has taught Spanish at area universities, and since the 1990s, has been a freelance writer, editor and speaker.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Atlanta Wine School newsletter, Connect With Wine, are but a few of the venues for which she has written articles about wine. She has also taught wine classes for the Atlanta Wine School and various clients in Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina.
For nearly 20 years, Jane has written for Gayot.com. Until 2016, she edited the work of writers in eight [8] southeastern U. S. cities for the site.
Currently, Jane writes for Georgia magazine on a variety of topics, including food and wine, and about wine for Lake Oconee Living magazine.
Much to her good fortune, Jane has traveled extensively throughout the world of wine, from North and South America, to Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Douglas C. Mabry: As Founder and Executive Director of the Vineyard & Winery Association of West Georgia, Doug organized the association to promote sustainable agriculture to enable the participation of small farmers. In so doing, he brought back many heritage bunch grape vines (American hybrids) that once were prominent wine grapes across the South in the 18th and 19th centuries.
These hardy grapes will thrive in all 159 Georgia counties, unlike Vitis vinifera (European grapes) that only survive and produce in North Georgia at high elevations. He is also is a co-founder of the Georgia Trustees Wine Challenge, dedicated to recognizing the best in Georgia wines.
Doug holds a B. A. in Education from Mercer University, 1997, and has done studies in anthropology at the University of West Georgia, 1997 – 2001. He has identified and preserved more than 1000 acres for parks and landmarks, and has developed three [3] historic museums.
In 2008, he received the State Preservation Achievement Award from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.