Two of the MOST Unforgettable People I Have Met

I have been a member of the Atlanta Press Club since the mid-1970’s. Of all my experiences in this organization, the most pivotal in my learning process was my tenure as executive director from 1977-79. In that role, I got to know two of the most unforgettable people I’ve ever known. The first was Zeke Segal, then Southern Bureau Chief for CBS News and president of the club.


Zeke Segal was the model for the concept of “paying it forward” or doing favors for people before they ask for them. He liked to nurture people, to connect them with others—creating a win-win for all. Zeke was my mentor.


Although Zeke used his expense account to eat at Bones, he believed the Atlanta Press Club should extend membership to journalists of any ilk; so he preferred meeting at Manual’s Tavern. He opened the club to journalism students from Georgia State University, Emory and UGA, several of whom later became recipients of scholarships given by the club.


Another role model in the Atlanta Press Club was Vida Goldgar, publisher and editor of the Southern Israelite and later the Atlanta Jewish Times, who first joined the club while still a housewife and a community volunteer. Vida was a mensch, a really good person. She was involved in numerous organizations—probably attending a board of directors meeting every night of the week for many years.


Although I remember many moments of giving, the one that struck me the most vividly occurred just a few weeks before her untimely death. With emphysema making it difficult to walk even a block and an impending cancer operation only two weeks away, Vida accompanied me to an exhibit at Imagine It: The Children’s Museum of Atlanta. She wanted to support a former employee—a letterpress printer whose work was the focal point of the exhibit. The funny thing was that we almost didn’t get in the door, since we were not accompanied by any children!


These are examples in my life of people who epitomize Community Relations.


Marilyn Pearlman
Founder Pearlman Associates