2009 Legacy Inductee
Marcus Bartlett
Marcus Bartlett was born in Richland, Georgia on August 19, 1910. Bartlett was a piano prodigy by age 18 and was a member of an Atlanta dance band which performed on the late night WSB Radio Owls program. He “fell into radio” as he described it when in 1930 Lamdin Kay hired Marcus to host "Bookhouse Story Time", a nightly program on WSB. He would play the piano as he read bedtime stories to listeners. During a newspaper strike in Atlanta, Bartlett took on the persona of “Uncle Mark” reading the comics on the air. When WSB began to broadcast college football, Bartlett did play by play for both UGA and Georgia Tech. In addition to his radio job he attended, and graduated from, Emory University with an A, B, in journalism in 1939. When World War Two broke out, Marcus joined the Navy and was stationed in Jacksonville. That’s where he met his future wife and mother of his five children. After the war, he returned to Atlanta and WSB Radio and moved into management hiring familiar names like 2024 Georgia Radio Hall of Fame inductee Elmo Ellis, Lee Jordan, Mike McDougald, George Crumbley, and Bob Watson. In 1948, when WSB entered television, Bartlett helped develop many programs. One, The Popeye Club” was hosted by 2024 Georgia Radio Hall of Fame inductee, Don Kennedy. Marcus retired from Cox Broadcasting in 1975, became a visiting professor at the University of Georgia and worked as a travel consultant. He was a biblical scholar and was organist at several churches. Marcus Bartlett was the recipient of Di Gamma Kappa’s Georgia Pioneer Broadcaster Award, The Board of Governors Emmy Award, and recognized by the Georgia House of Representatives for his invaluable contribution to the music and arts culture of the South.
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