Forrest Grady Towns (1914 - 1991)

Born 6 Feb 1914 in Fitzgerald, Ben Hill, Georgia, United States

Ancestors

Died 9 Apr 1991 at age 77 in Athens, Clarke, Georgia, United States

Biography

Forrest Towns is Notable.

Descendant of Gideon Towns.

Spec was born in 1914 to Mathew Harlow Towns and Eliza Arowana Burkett. He had at least 5 siblings: Earney, Emmitt, Mary Evelyn, Preston Eugene, and Leslie Hamilton.

• 1920 census record not found
• Fact: Residence (1930) Augusta, Richmond, Georgia
• Fact: Residence (1935) Same Place, Clarke, Georgia

He married on 26 Jul 1937 in Madison County to Martha Elizabeth Eberhardt, daughter of Alexander Hamilton Stephens Eberhardt and Sara Ella Huff. He was about 23 years old. They had at least 2 children together:

1. Robert Forrest Towns
2. Living Towns

• Fact: Residence (1940) Ward 3, Athens, Militia District 1467, Clarke, Georgia
• Fact: Residence (9 Apr 1991) Clarke, Georgia

Spec passed away in 1991 at the age of 77.

• Fact: Burial (Apr 1991) Carlton City Cemetery, Carlton, Madison, Georgia

Legacy

Spec, named after the profusion of his freckles, earned a football scholarship to the University of Georgia. He was encouraged to try out for the track and field team and concentrated on high hurdles, winning the NCAA and AAU titles in the 120 yard hurdles in 1935. In 1936, he was the first Georgia native on the American Olympic team. He participated in the Berlin, Germany Olympics and achieved the World Record with 14.1 seconds and an Olympic Gold Medal with 14.2 seconds. He then went on to a meet in Oslo, Norway and became the first hurdler to run under 14 seconds. In 1950, he set a new world record of 13.7 seconds, and broke that record three more times. He graduated from UGA and became the head Track and Field Coach, retiring in 1975. The UGA Track is named after him and an annual track meet is held in his honor.

Links

FamilySearch PID: 98KL-P15
Find A Grave: Memorial #24854693 Headstone Photo: Yes

Sources

• Wikidata: Item Q706262, en:Wikipedia
• Historical Dictionary of Track and Field By Peter Matthews, pages 202-203
• Forrest Towns on IMDB.com
• Forrest (Spec) Towns - Class of 1932
• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:3CQ5-BT2 : accessed 8 December 2019), Forest Towns in household of MM9.1.1/3CQ5-26Z:, Augusta, Richmond, Georgia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 3, sheet 7B, line 83, family 171, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 383; FHL microfilm 2,340,118.
• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7L7-NYT : 28 July 2019), Forrest Towns, Ward 3, Athens, Militia District 1467, Clarke, Georgia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 29-13, sheet 6A, line 35, family 129, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 656.
• "Georgia Death Index, 1933-1998," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V4S7-RGC : 24 December 2014), Forrest G Towns, 09 Apr 1991; from "Georgia Deaths, 1919-98," database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2001); citing Clarke, Georgia, certificate number 013061, Georgia Health Department, Office of Vital Records, Atlanta.
• "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V99J-23G : 20 May 2014), Forrest G Towns, 09 Apr 1991; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV57-LCST : accessed 8 December 2019), Forrest Or Spec Towns, Kentucky, United States, 11 Apr 1991; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing , born-digital text.
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVS1-WT7B : accessed 8 December 2019), Forrest G Or Spec Towns, SouthEast, Florida, United States, 14 Apr 1991; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing St. Petersburg Times, born-digital text.
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVRP-DZYL : accessed 8 December 2019), Forrest G Or Spec Towns, Illinois, United States, 14 Apr 1991; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Chicago Sun-Times, born-digital text.
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKRS-H4D1 : accessed 8 December 2019), Forrest Grady Towns in entry for Mrs Martha Eberhardt Towns, Gainesville, Georgia, United States, 22 Mar 2002; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Times, The, born-digital text.
• Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 08 December 2019), memorial page for Forrest Grady “Spec” Towns (6 Feb 1914–9 Apr 1991), Find A Grave Memorial no. 24854693, citing Carlton City Cemetery, Carlton, Madison County, Georgia, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave (contributor 8).

See Also

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 08 December 2019, 07:24), entry for Forrest Grady "Spec" Towns(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:98KL-P15); contributed by various users.
• "Public Member Trees kih1962/ageorgiaangel", database, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/87942165/person/40570483596/facts : accessed 8 Dec 2019), profile for Forrest Grady "Spec" Towns.

Acknowledgements

Towns-168 was created by Clark-19450 on 8 Jan 2015. See the Changes page for the details of edits by Ted and others.