Farewell to Woody

by David Butler

It’s hard to imagine what the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce will be like without Woody Woodside. Milton “Woody” Woodside has been chamber president since 1985, and according to the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, that makes him one of the most tenured, continuous serving chamber leaders to serve only one community in the state. Woody has announced that he will be retiring in April 2019, marking the end of an era.

As one of the most active members in our community, Woody serves on the Glynn-Brunswick Memorial Hospital Authority, Glynn County Transportation Policy Committee, Jekyll Island Foundation Advisory Board, Rotary Club of Brunswick, and the Military Officer’s Association of America (MOAA), Golden Isles Chapter. Some of the many awards and accolades he received throughout his career include the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce’s Alfred W. Jones Award, the Glynn County Bar Association’s Liberty Bell Award, the Patrick Henry Award from the National Guard Association of the U.S., the Kent Lawrence Professional of the Year Award from the Georgia Association of Chamber Executives, Keep Brunswick-Golden Isles Beautiful’s Bootsie Mason Award, the Golden Eagle Award from the Okefenokee Council Boy Scouts of America, and Leadership Georgia’s Frederick B. Kerr Award in 1999. He is an Emory Dawson Humanitarian Award recipient, and Georgia Trend magazine named him a “Notable Georgian” for nine consecutive years.

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Woody for over thirty years and was very thankful when he agreed to sit down with me to talk a little about his time with the Chamber for Elegant Island Living. EIL: How did you end up in the Golden Isles? WW: After college in the Army, I worked for Ronald “Bo” Ginn in his bid for the first Congressional District of Georgia, an area covering 20 counties including coastal Georgia. When Bo won, I went with him to DC to be on his staff in 1973. Later that year, I had the opportunity to work in a job with the same responsibilities in the region based in Glynn County. Having campaigned down here, I jumped at the chance, knowing the quality of life here.

EIL: How did attending The Citadel impact your life most?

WW: By instilling discipline, loyalty, and honesty, I hope.

EIL: Are you social media savvy?

WW: You have the wrong guy! When I started at the Chamber in 1985, we didn’t have computers. Then perhaps in ’86 or ’87, it started. Thank goodness for the Chamber

Member volunteers and staff. I remember getting one, and it was probably a month before I found out how to turn it on! Of course now we can’t do without them!

EIL: In your 46 years working in Brunswick and Glynn County, what changes have you seen occur as a result of the collective efforts of the community, including the Chamber?

WW: Well, there have been quite a few, especially when you consider the population of Glynn County doubled to over 85,000 residents in that time.

In the area of transportation and roadways, there was the completion of I-95 System (exits 29-36) and the I-95 Welcome Center,

creating 4-lane roads on Hwy 82 BrunswickColumbus, Hwy 431 Brunswick-Perry, Hwy 17 to Spur to Exit 38, MLK-Altama to Glynco, F.J. Torras Causeway, and Spur 25 to Hwy 99, plus overhead signage on state roads. The Sidney Lanier Bridge was replaced, Colonels Island Terminals were constructed and the GPA Mayor’s Point Terminal was established. The Brunswick Harbor was deepened from 30' to 36' and the Hampton Marina was established. The Brunswick-Golden Isles Airport was established and new terminals have been built for both SSI and Brunswick airports. There were significant renovations and new construction of public schools, as well as the establishment of The Golden Isles College and Career Academy and the four-year College of Coastal Georgia, and the completion of Coastal Pines Technical College’s Glynn Campus. The Southeast Georgia Health System has gone through three expansions.

Government buildings and recreational facilities got some improvements, with the completion of the new Glynn County Courthouse and Detention Center, Recreation, Public Safety Complex, SSI Casino and library and Neptune Park Fun Zone pool complex. On St. Simons Island, there was the expansion of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society’s A. W. Jones Heritage Center and the acquisition and preservation of Cannon’s Point by the St. Simons Land Trust.

Improvements were made in areas that bolster hospitality as well. Numerous hotel and motel properties were built on St. Simons and Jekyll Island, Sea Island built/renovated The Cloister, and the state built the $50 Million Jekyll Island Convention Center. Four additional golf courses were constructed and the RSM Classic PGA Tour Golf Tournament at Sea Island Golf Club was established. Shopping opportunities expanded with the Glynn Place Mall being established on the Spur in Brunswick and Retreat Village and Shops at Sea Island opening on St. Simons Island.

It’s important to note that all of these accomplishments didn’t just happen. The key to success is everyone in the community coming together.

“... I had the opportunity to work in a job with the same responsibilities in the region based in Glynn County. Having campaigned down here, I jumped at the chance, knowing the quality of life here.”

EIL: Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your 18-year old self?

WW: Avoid too many distractions to educational opportunities and experiences. Make sure to have strong reading skills.

EIL: What’s one thing about you that surprises people?

WW: I don’t have a clue! Hopefully nothing.

We at EIL join the rest of the community in wishing Woody well in his retirement. Maybe now he’ll get a chance to put those strong reading skills to use with some New York Times bestsellers or instructions on how to build the new porch rocker instead of perusing meeting minutes and contract forms. Enjoy those golden years in the Golden Isles, Woody! Thanks for all you’ve done here.