2014 Legacy Inductee
Mather Payne
1916 - 1979
Mather M. Payne was born in Floyd County Sept. 17, 1916. He graduated from Rome High School with honors in 1933. He was a pioneer in the Georgia radio industry beginning his career in broadcasting with WRGA in Rome in 1935 as a bookkeeper-announcer. He became office manager in 1940 and was named station manager in 1946. From 1942-1945 he served with the U,S. Army Signal Corps, serving a Team-Chief of the Radio-Teletype Team in the south Pacific. The list of projects which he volunteered time and abilities in Floyd County is far too lengthy to recount, but include among them the presidency of the Rome area Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Floyd Hospital Authority and Rome-Floyd County Development Authority and president of the Coosa Valley Fair Association, growing out of his longtime membership in the Rome Exchange Club. He was an honorary life member of the National Congress of Parents and Teachers. He was awarded the titles of "Young Man of the Year" by the Rome Exchange Club and "Boss of the Year" by the Rome Jaycees. He was also a past commander of the Shanklin-Attaway Post 5 of the American Legion and was vice-commander of the Seventh District American Legion. In 1966 Mather Payne was awarded the Di Gamma Kappa Pioneer Broadcaster of the year honor from the University of Georgia. Mr. Payne retired in 1977 and died in 1979 after a two year battle with cancer.
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