Family Ties {
ALTHOUGH SISTERS, THE THREE CHANDLER DAUGHTERS — and second-generation Georgia College graduate Chandler Minter Tagliabue — each had different experiences and interests while attending what was then an all-women’s college.
Chandler Minter Tagliabue, ’64
Tagliabue enjoyed connecting with the university’s most famous alumna, Flannery O’Connor, during the early 1960s. “As president of the literary club, I corresponded with Flannery O’Connor to set a date for the annual spring picnic she hosted for the club on Andalusia’s front lawn,” Tagliabue said. “I still have the brief note she wrote on her personalized stationery confirming the date.” She also introduced O’Connor when the author spoke at an assembly in Russell Auditorium. “Those were memorable experiences, made even more so today by her esteemed place among 20th-century American authors,” said Tagliabue, who served as president of her sophomore class in 1961. That same year, Tagliabue’s class won the Golden Slipper competition. Tagliabue also participated in theatre productions such as “The Curious Savage” and “The Choir.” While juggling her undergraduate studies, Tagliabue originally focused on biology but graduated with an English degree. “Georgia College had several outstanding teachers on the science faculty,” Tagliabue said, including Dr. Clyde Keeler, who had been involved with early genetics experiments at Harvard, and Dr. Sarah Anne Staples, “who was just a wonderful teacher.” As an English major, Tagliabue appreciated Dr. Rosalie Watson. “Some students were terrified of her, but I thought she was brilliant. She had a sharp, often irreverent, sense of humor. She gave you a whiff of the world outside Milledgeville.” That whiff drew Tagliabue to New York. While attending classes at Columbia University and landing a job in advertising, she met Paul Tagliabue, who was finishing law school. The two married in 1965 and moved to Washington, D.C., where he practiced law and eventually became commissioner of the National Football League (1989 to 2006). The Tagliabues have a son, Andrew, who is the executive director of New York City P-FLAG, and a daughter, Emily, who teaches high school English. Dovie Chandler Wingard, ’41
Tagliabue’s Aunt Dovie Wingard attended many Super Bowls with the Tagliabues, becoming a bit of a celebrity herself. “She had her picture taken with a lot of the stars who attended,” Tagliabue said. “She was the only one with whom Paul McCartney would allow his picture to be taken. She has albums of her photos with famous people.” Wingard began appearing in commercials while in her 80s. After appearing in a couple of print ads, she got an agent and began earning money for appearances in commercials for companies like State Farm and NASCAR. This year her Atlanta Falcons commercial, which also features two former presidents, actor Denzel Washington, former Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox, former NFL star Deion Sanders and other celebrities, is making “all my friends go crazy. It’s fun to be a celebrity,” she said. Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton were filmed for the ad on a different day. “Aunt Dovie thought that was unfortunate since they had missed their opportunity to meet her,” Tagliabue said. “She is very much a
character and always has been considered the actress in the family.” Wingard earned her bachelor of science in education. After graduating, she joined the Red Cross and was stationed in New Orleans for several years where she met her future husband, Ernie. They later returned to Atlanta. As a student, Wingard said she couldn’t match her sisters, but she made friends among the dormitory students and was elected vice president of her senior class. All four Georgia College alumnae also graduated from the Peabody School, established in 1891 on the university campus as a public school for Baldwin County students and a practice school for Georgia College education students. “I tell my friends, and they never believe me, that I had the opportunity to go from the first grade to college on the same block,” Wingard said. Barbara Anne Chandler, ’34
The eldest sister, Barbara was considered a brilliant student. When Barbara graduated in 1934, legendary Georgia College faculty member Dr. Helen Greene convinced parents Bessie and Charles Chandler to enroll her in the graduate history program at the University of Chicago. The Chandler’s agreed after Greene promised to chaperone Barbara since Greene was finishing a degree there herself. Greene taught all three Chandler sisters and Tagliabue. “Dr. Greene told me she considered my aunt Barbara and my mother among the top students she ever taught,” Tagliabue said. During World War II, Barbara joined the U.S. Navy WAVES, expecting to “see the world,” according to Tagliabue, but, ironically, the Navy initially sent Barbara to Milledgeville for training at Georgia College. Later she was stationed oversees. Once the war ended, Barbara continued to serve in the Navy Reserve. She earned a doctorate in counseling from New York University and returned to Georgia College again as dean of students from 1956 to 1963 before joining the U.S. Department of Education to focus on adult education. She retired in 1978. Always looking for the next project, she conceived and championed the idea for The Old Capitol Museum shortly before her death in 2003. Elizabeth Chandler Minter, ’38
Also a history major at Georgia College, middle sister Elizabeth also was considered a promising student. After her marriage in 1941, she worked in Atlanta for the League of Women Voters and was an early feminist. She maintained a lifelong interest in current affairs and strongly supported institutions that promoted the cause of world peace and understanding. Through her affiliation with First Presbyterian Church, she met and hosted many foreign visitors and briefly hosted a Chinese student, Carolyn Chow, who attended Georgia College. Elizabeth enjoyed connecting with international students. Raising her family in Milledgeville, she and her husband took over her father’s businesses, Chandler’s Variety Store and the Union Department Store. Her death in 1999 prompted daughter Chan and sons Charles and James Minter to establish a scholarship in her name, which is now part of the Chandler Family Memorial Scholarship. ■ Georgia College Connection • Winter 2011-2012
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