NAMING THE NEW FINE ARTS CENTER IN HONOR OF PORTER SANFORD, III

Porter Sanford, III was born on November 2, 1941 in Eatonton, Georgia. He received his early education in the Putnam County School System and graduated from Butler Baker High School in 1960. He worked for a year before matriculating at Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University) where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration in 1965. Having an entrepreneurial spirit at an early age, he assumed the role of campus barber and operated a barber shop to defray the cost of his college education. During his college years he met and married his loving wife of 41 years, Bobbie Kennedy. They were blessed with two sons, Porter "Sandy" Sanford, IV and Brandon Kennedy Sanford.

While in college, Porter was encouraged by his professor, William Robie to pursue a career in real estate. Upon completion of his studies he worked for a short time as a Sales Representative for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and later as a Sales Agent for Robie Real Estate and Roberts Real Estate Company. His entrepreneurial goal of self-employment was realized with the opening of Sanford Realty in 1965, the first minority-owned real estate company in Dekalb County. Porter grew this company from a small five agent office on Memorial Drive to the current office located on Snapfinger Woods Drive with 75 agents accounting for millions of dollars of real estate sales in the metropolitan Atlanta area. Porter was often mentioned as one of the individuals instrumental in starting the movement of Blacks in Dekalb County that led to it becoming the second most affluent Black County in the United States.

Even with the increasing responsibilities of operating his business, Porter had a burning desire to serve his community. He was a founding member of the Samuel Jones Boys Club, the First Southern Bank (where he sat on the Board of Directors and formerly chaired the Loan Committee) and the 100 Black Men of Dekalb County. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Dekalb-Peachtree Airport Authority. He was elected from a field of eight candidates to the Dekalb County Commission in 1994. During his tenure at the super district 7 post, he was elected the first African-American presiding officer of the Commission. He also served on the budget committee and secured funding for the South Dekalb Arts Center.

His civic involvement was not limited to Dekalb County, but spanned the metropolitan Atlanta area. He was an active member of the following organizations: Board member of OIC (Opportunities Industrialization Center), the Dekalb branch of the NAACP, National Association of Real Estate Brokers, Inc., Georgia Association of Realtors, Dekalb Association of Realtors, Past President, Empire Board of Realtists; Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, Grady Hospital Board of Visitors, the Regional Leadership Institute, South Dekalb Business Association and the Spring Valley Civic Association. He was a member of Greenforest Baptist Church, a lifetime member and past president of the Atlanta Alumni chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc, and was active in the Clark College Alumni Association, the Prince Hall Free and Accepted Masons, and the Shriners and received many awards and accolades.  

Porter%u2019s death on February 9, 2006 has left a void in the Dekalb community.  His trailblazing spirit of helping thousands citizens realize the dream of homeownership and his untiring love for serving his community with integrity and honesty make him a most worthy candidate for having the Arts Center named in his honor. It is only fitting that this honor be bestowed upon Porter Sanford, III.