Buckner Franklin Melton, Sr.

Buckner Franklin Melton, Sr., of Macon, Georgia, died Wednesday March 5 2014 after a lengthy illness. A native of Arlington, Georgia, Melton was born on October 24, 1923 to the Reverend Henry Martin Melton and Mary Marguerite Melton, nee Layman. He grew up in Moultrie, Georgia, graduating Moultrie High School in 1941 and attending Norman Junior College and later Mercer University, earning a B.A. and LL.B. from the latter in 1949. During World War II, Melton enrolled in the V-12 Navy College Training Program at Mercer, serving in the Pacific Ocean Theater as an amphibious warfare officer. He was recalled to active duty during in the Korean Conflict, retiring from the United States Navy Reserve in 1983 with the rank of lieutenant commander. After his 1949 graduation from Mercer, Melton became a Macon attorney and was one of the founding partners of Melton, McKenna, & House. In the early 1960s he was city attorney under Mayor Edgar H. Wilson. In 1971 he served as president of the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce as well as president of the Idle Hour Golf and Country Club. In 1973 he also served as president of the Macon Bar Association. During this time he was involved in many successful efforts to lure industry to Macon, including Brown & Williamson, GEICO, TexPrint, and YKK. In 1975, Melton was elected mayor of Macon, serving for one term and declining to seek reelection in 1979. Upon completing his time as mayor, Melton became a founding partner of Sell & Melton, a merger of the two firms Sell, Comer & Popper and McKenna, House, Lancaster, & Green. Melton was involved with, served on, and represented a number of organizations, including the Georgia Board of Industry and Trade (member 1977-82), the Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority, the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority, the Macon Civic Club (President 1965), the Macon Legal Aid Society, the Macon State College Foundation (past Board Member), the Mercer University School of Medicine (founding member, Board of Governors, 1980-92), and many more. In 1987-88, Melton served as festival chairman of Macon's International Cherry Blossom Festival. In 1989, and again in 1990, he was named one of the "100 Most Influential Men and Women of Georgia" by Georgia Trend magazine. He continued to be active in local and state civic affairs until his retirement due to illness in 2007. Buck enjoyed spending time with friends and family as well as the many hours he spent chasing a small white ball around golf courses. Music was another passion and he was known to perform tunes such as "I left My Heart in San Francisco" and "Moon River" with little provocation. A Baptist, he attended St. Paul's Episcopal Church with his family. Melton is survived by his wife of 60 years and love of his life, Tommie Melton, nee Beck. Two children, Leigh Singleton of Nashville, Tennessee and Buckner F. Melton, Jr. of Macon; son-in-law Charles K. Singleton of Nashville and daughter-in-law Carol K. Melton of Macon; grandson Grady Beck Singleton of Nashville; nephews Tim Jester of Richmond, Virginia, Hank Jester and Will Jester or Arlington, Georgia, and niece Mary Ann Lednicky of Arlington, Georgia. He was predeceased by two sisters, Laura Vivian Hughes and Marguerite Jester, both of Arlington, Georgia, and his nephew David Franklin Hughes of Danville, Kentucky. Funeral services will be Saturday, March 8, 2014 in St. Pauls Episcopal Church at 11:30 a.m. with burial in Rose Hill Cemetery. The Reverend Hal Weidman will officiate. Visitation will be held Friday, March 7, 2014 from 4 p.m. till 6 p.m. in Hart's Mortuary at the Cupola . In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 753 College Street Macon, GA 31201. Friends may sign the online register at www.hartsmort.com. Hart's Mortuary and Crematory at the Cupola has charge of arrangements.