AN UNEXPECTED GIFT OF ARTISTRY

Wayne Morgan: An Unexpected Gift Of Artistry

STORY BY SHAN WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY BY WAYNE MORGAN

Garden of the Gods Park is a National Natural Landmark in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

It’s been said that if you enjoy the work that you do, you’ll never work another day in your life. One Brantley County native knows this firsthand and that it's possible to stumble upon that joy without looking. Natural gifts and talents that we enjoy can show up in the most unlikely ways.

A great example of this is how nature and landscape photography “found” Wayne Morgan. His natural talent of capturing the beauty in the world has made him a household name around the Okefenokee region...and for good reason. Wayne is well-known as a talented nature photographer who does very little editing to his photographs.

When passion and talent intersect, it’s a beautiful thing. What Wayne didn’t realize was that the beauty all around him would change him. And that the unexpected joy of photography would sustain him through many ups and downs in life.

Wayne grew up hunting and fishing around the Satilla River as a kid. He enjoyed spending time in the great outdoors. On the weekends, Wayne remembers going to the Raybon Community to visit family. His Aunts and Uncles lived there - ten boys and two girls. He recalls this time fondly, that they were always hunting and fishing near the Satilla River - they camped on the banks of the Satilla many times.

“I think so many people take for granted what we have in the Satilla River and Okefenokee Swamp. I have been to Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, California, Colorado, Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maine, Canada, and much of Georgia taking pictures. We have as much or more beauty right here in Southeast Georgia as any of these places.” -Wayne Morgan

A male painted bunting. The bright plumage of the male only comes in the second year of life.

Wayne’s Satilla River roots run deep. His Granny drowned in the river at 301 bridge in 1970, but he continues to see the natural dark water river and its surroundings as a beautiful, peaceful retreat.

Wayne attributes another life-changing opportunity as a great catalyst to his love of the Okefenokee region… working with a man who saw nature as he did. Don Berryhill, known as Waycross Georgia's "Okefenokeelogist," taught scores of school children, adults, and even college professors for 50 years at the Okefenokee Swamp Park. When Wayne Morgan was 16, he landed a summer job at RESA Waycross and Don Berryhill just so happened to be his boss.

Back then, Don and Wayne’s job was to travel the boat trails of the Swamp Park. The pair would get out in the water and move the small floating islands out of the way so that boats could pass by. Don became a mentor to Wayne with his extensive knowledge of the swamp. The unique beauty and wildlife ecosystem of the swamp had a profound impact on Wayne. He says that the Okefenokee is so much like the Satilla River except for the fact that it has more alligators. More wildlife can be seen at the Swamp than anywhere else in the region, and that’s what he loves.

Wayne had been a machinist at Hercules for a couple of years when he began having blackout episodes at work. At 35 years old, Wayne couldn't figure out the sporadic spells with his health. Doctors ran EEGs that came back normal. Then he was asked to wear a heart monitor for 24 hours to get to

the bottom of his issues. While wearing the heart tracker, Wayne suffered another episode. The doctors realized that his heart was stopping for 15 seconds at a time.

On a release from work, Wayne gravitated back to what he loved...fishing on the great Satilla River. But this time it was different.

His Dad’s friend, Jane Strickland, knew that Wayne was eager to return to work at Hercules. When Wayne told her he was spending time fishing on the Satilla, she gave him a small camera to take with him. Jane had a place on the river and knew its beauty well. Wayne recalls, “She gave me her small camera and told me to take it with me fishing.”

It didn’t take long for Wayne to realize that his passion for nature photography far outweighed catching fish. The beauty of the Satilla captivated him and he wanted to photograph every inch of it. He also wanted to learn everything he could about it.

He went to the Brantley County Library and asked for every book about the Satilla River that they had. There was only one. It was Satilla Sands and that was more of a family history book than it was about the Satilla River.

Wayne couldn’t believe that there weren't more books about the natural beauty of the Satilla. It was then that he decided to create a coffee table book of his own. He wanted to create a book that weaved short stories and facts about the Satilla River among his nature photographs. About a year later,

Zirkle Dam - Little Satilla River. Frog on a Lily Pad was selected by the National Wildlife Federation magazine to hang in Washington, D.C. at the American Advancement for the Association of Science building.

Wayne’s passion project book based on the dark water river and wildlife had come to fruition. And Satilla Solitude was a hit!

Wayne's former boss, Don Berryhill, bought a copy and told Wayne that he would like to work with him on another book. The two men knew in their hearts that they had to create a book to showcase the beauty of the Okefenokee Swamp.

The pair began work on Okefenokee Swamp, Wild & Natural and finished it in 2013. Don was over 80 years old when they completed it. The hardcover book, available on Amazon and other places books are sold, contains more than 200 photographs of the wildlife, scenery, and plants of the Okefenokee. The nature photography was captured by Wayne, and Don added interesting facts about the hidden gem.

In the midst of his photography journey, Wayne began working with CSX as a machinist in Waycross in 2008. His Granddaddy had a garage in Nahunta when Wayne was a kid.

“As we camped along the banks throughout my childhood, I noticed the natural beauty of the Satilla River. But I didn’t fully appreciate that beauty until many years later.” -Wayne Morgan

Grand Tetons in Wyoming.

He grew up working on projects with his Granddaddy and enjoyed fixing things. Even though he’d never worked anything as big and heavy as a train, he went to work at CSX with a similar “fix it” mindset.

Ten years later, Wayne’s blackouts started once again and he was sent to Augusta University Hospital to have a long-term EEG done. The answer to Wayne’s health issues was discovered - a very rare type of Epilepsy called Ictal Asystole Left Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

The good news is that seizure medicine allowed Wayne to feel better and return to working on locomotives at CSX again. He says that his passion for photography is stronger now than it has ever been.

Wayne said that a few miles up or down the Satilla or out in the Okefenokee, the beauty and peacefulness is fantastic, and has one simple piece of advice for anyone who travels there… “just keep bug spray handy!”

Because Wayne was an advocate for the environmental issues around the Satilla River and Okefenokee Swamp, he was drawn to a new goal. He wanted to create a children’s book about environmental concerns. He wanted to provide an interesting tale to get them involved.

“I really wish we would all take better care of it. I have worked with the Satilla River Keepers over the years and there is no sense in the amount of trash that gets left behind for others to clean up.” Wayne says.

Kase For The Environment was written by a well-known newspaper owner, Dink NeSmith. The plot was based on Wayne and his grandson Kase. The book tells the true stories of Wayne and Kase taking a trip on the Satilla River and what they encountered. Grandfather and grandson found beauty and wildlife, but also the trash that people leave behind. Kase For the Environment gained the endorsement of former president Jimmy Carter, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Mark Williams, the Nature Conservancy's Mark Abner, and Georgia’s then first lady Sandra Deal.

Wayne Morgan, a Brantley County artist whose photographs are owned by the likes of President Jimmy Carter and US Secretary of Agriculture and former Governor Sonny Perdue, found a new passion for photography after suffering a near-death experience.

Okefenokee Swamp which is displayed as a mural in Walmart's Starke, Florida, store.

Eventually, Wayne and his wife Bonnie began traveling once a year to different locations so that Wayne could take pictures. Wayne decided to create a book about the unforgotten path of their travels named, Zirkle to Alaska. It contains stories, poems, and 200 of Wayne’s favorite non-edited photographs from Alabama, Alaska, California, Canada, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Montana, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wyoming.

He has won several contests with his photography which include the Georgia Council for the Arts in 2015 & 2017 and multiple Judge Ben Smith art contests at the Okefenokee Heritage Center. One photo of the Okefenokee is displayed as a mural in Walmart’s Starke Florida store.

In 2019, Frog on a Lily was selected by the National Wildlife Federation Magazine to hang in Washington, D.C. at the American Advancement for the Association of Science building from November 2019 through February 2020. In the past, several of his photos were featured on CSX’s yearly calendars. Wayne’s photographs have been on the cover of the Alma and Brantley County phone books and every Brantley County Magazine. Along with being featured in Okefenokee Living magazine and Waycross Magazine, Waycross Bank & Trust has one of his Okefenokee Swamp pictures on their debit/credit card. Several of his framed pictures hang on the walls at Jerry J's restaurant in Nahunta.

Wayne and his wife Bonnie Barnard Morgan have been married for 36 years. They have a daughter, Kristen Morgan Crews, and a son, Kyle. They have also been blessed with two grandsons, Kase and Kannon, and two granddaughters Aliya and Adilyn.

Both Satilla Solitude and Okefenokee Swamp, Wild & Natural books sold out of the original printing. They have both moved to a second printing, with most of those sold out now as well. For more information about Wayne’s books, photography, and other artistic endeavors, visit Wayne Morgan Photo on Facebook. O L