From his comfortable surroundings at an Atlanta senior living community, Bill Montgomery occupies his time like most other residents do — with meals, activities and socializing.
But like so many others around him, Bill has a side to his personality that may not be outwardly visible. Beneath the quiet exterior of the 82-year-old beats the heart of a seasoned journalist whose memories are filled with exciting stories, devious crimes, dramatic courtroom scenes, and of course, the urgency of deadline.
Montgomery was a reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for 38 years. Although his life now is characterized by quiet, peaceful days and restful nights, he can still conjure vivid recollections of a fast-paced career that saw him on the front lines of current events in Atlanta — and in many cases, on the edge of danger and intrigue.
“I miss it,” he said. “I’m too old to do it now, but I’d love to be running around the city tracking down stories, covering crimes, showing up to court, and putting the story together for tomorrow’s paper. It’s in my blood. I don’t think I’ll ever lose that feeling of chasing a good story.”
A storied newspaper career
Montgomery worked at several newspapers before landing at the AJC. He spent some time at his hometown paper, The News-Press in Fort Myers, Florida, where he worked for a time while in college. Then he went to the Sarasota News before enlisting in the Air Force and being stationed in Germany after which he briefly worked for United Press International.
“I’ve always been interested in writing and in keeping up with current events and reading newspapers even as a kid,” Montgomery said.
When he joined the staff of the AJC he did so as a reporter on the education beat, covering the Atlanta school systems and board of education. He worked general assignments for a while, responsible for covering any and everything editors threw at him.
“But I found myself drawn to covering crime and the courts,” Montgomery said. “I loved watching the court stories unfold and in the inner workings of the judicial system. Some people might be bored by that, but I found it fascinating.”
When he was finally put on the crime beat, he was thrilled. Immediately, he dove headfirst into it, making friends with law enforcement whom he said took a liking to him, which helped in gathering information.
“I really loved covering trials,” he said. “There’s a crime or a lawsuit and someone is accused of something. You have to follow the case, learn all the facts, and learn about the people involved. It’s like reading a novel.”
Montgomery said he always tried to go immediately to the scene to gather what he could from the location itself, witnesses, and even victims. He think-checked with officers or went to the police station for more information.
“You wanted to go to the scene, talk to as many people involved as possible — even relatives of the suspect or victim. You wanted to find out as much as you could about the incident or the offender as possible. You read old newspapers, police reports, anything that could give you some background to work with.”
Credit: Contributed by Tracey Conner
Credit: Contributed by Tracey Conner
Memorable cases and earning trust
Most people try to stay away from dangerous locations, but Montgomery’s beat put him in some less-than-desirable situations. He remembers vividly one of the more precarious outings to cover a story.
“It was the night Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot,” he said. “Things were tense in some parts of the city, and about a day or so later riots broke out all over town. As a white man, I’m sure some considered me the enemy but I had to be out there to get the story and see what was going on. That was scary to always be in the middle of it, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
He covered murder cases and a variety of other crimes. He covered the notorious porn publisher Larry Flynt. He followed famous attorney Bobby Lee Cook for years. Cook was a defense attorney from Summerville who was said to be the inspiration for television attorney Ben Matlock played by Andy Griffith.
“Bobby Lee trusted me and always called me when he had information on cases I was working on or on cases he thought I should cover,” Montgomery said. “I suppose he thought I was fair and accurate in my reporting, so he was willing to give me the information I needed.”
Montgomery covered a case involving James Vincent Sullivan, a Palm Beach, Florida millionaire who was found guilty of having his wife, Lita McClinton Sullivan, murdered by a contract killer in 1987.
“I followed that crime from the time it happened all the way through the court system,” Montgomery said. “It took about 20 years total to be resolved when it was all said and done but I followed it all the way through.”
Over the course of his career, Montgomery earned the trust of a variety of law enforcement officials including police officers, judges, attorneys as well as FBI agents.
“The FBI didn’t like reporters coming to the scene when they were in charge,” Montgomery said. “You’d have to earn the trust of the agents. If you did, then they’d give you information you couldn’t get from a press release.”
This relationship with law enforcement was clear at Montgomery’s retirement party.
“There were police officers, FBI agents and GBI agents who showed up to his retirement party,” said Tracey Conner, Montgomery’s niece. “They all came out to celebrate at Manuel’s Tavern which was a neighborhood bar that all the reporters would hang out at. My uncle was quite the writer. He’s got a lot of interesting stories to tell and numerous awards.”
Conner said when she was a child, Montgomery would visit her family but she always thought he was smarter than everyone else and found him a little intimidating . But in later years they became reacquainted, and she found great joy in listening to his stories from his days as a reporter and reading newspaper clippings of his writing.
Credit: Contributed by Tracey Conner
Credit: Contributed by Tracey Conner
‘Once a reporter, always a reporter’
Montgomery is still a big consumer of the news. He has a subscription to the AJC and the media company provided him with an electronic tablet so he can read the news any time he likes.
Roquel Francis is the activities director at Kennesaw Village where Montgomery lives. She said she was struck by his eagerness to speak about his love of journalism and particularly his passion for crime reporting.
“My style of getting our residents engaged in activity is to understand who they are and the things they enjoy,” Francis said. “Mr. Montogmery is absolutely passionate about his career as a reporter. He loves talking about that time in his life. He’s an avid reader and consumer of the news. I think he likes pouring back into this generation the things that he learned during his career.”
“And he’s the quintessential gentleman,” Francis added. “He opens the door for ladies and has a lot of charisma.”
Montgomery will turn 83 in October. And although he is far removed from the career he enjoyed for decades , it’s clear that it wasn’t just a job for him. It was a special time in his life. And if anyone cares to look, there are lots of stories he wrote that are a testament to his passion for reporting.
“It’s in my blood and that will never change,” Montgomery said. “I loved my job talking to people and bringing their stories to the public. I loved chasing crime stories and following them to their resolution. I liked sitting in courtrooms and listening to statements and arguments and then running back to my typewriter to make sure all of Atlanta knew what was going on. I don’t think that love and passion will ever leave me. Once a reporter, always a reporter.”
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