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For more than 20 years, Larry Echikson was a high-ranking bank officer, initially with First National of Atlanta, later a senior vice president with Wachovia. Among his varied duties, he managed a multi-million dollar loan portfolio, was in charge of Wachovia’s commercial credit card services, and handled relations with foreign-owned corporations doing business in the United States.

Inspired by his mother, a civil rights activist in Atlanta during the turbulent 1960s, George "Ray" Mitchell took a courageous stand in 1971 in the South Georgia library district where he was newly hired. “There was a sign that advertised story hours.

As a young Naval sailor, Tim Almeroth was serious about his grooming. And it paid off, because it was his neatly manicured hands that first drew the attention of the former Nellie McGauran. And after 51 years of marriage, Nellie K. Almeroth is sure her husband’s hands were the key to his success.

When Bill Roberts retired in 2010 after 44 years as a Conyers dentist, his passion for the profession didn’t end. He turned his attention to volunteering his services at home and in northern Mexico, lending a hand in treating scores of people who either could not afford or didn’t have access to proper dental care.

Fred Higginbotham believed a good administrator could see how things work, make adjustments and take care of the people who did the day-to-day work. He thought of it as seeing the big picture, his daughter said. “He once told me that being a hospital administrator was like running a small city,” said Jan Mason, of Dallas, Texas.

No matter where in the world Jimmy “Junebug” Jackson played, he considered Atlanta his second home. Mr. Jackson, a jazz drummer, spent more than 20 years playing in and around the city, before he relocated to the D.C. area, but his heart never completely left, his brother said.

Before it became trendy to be labeled an event or party planner, Sue Knox was well-versed in finding sponsors, booking venues and organizing food service for large groups of people. It was all part of what she did as a homemaker, her children said. In the '50s and '60s she was a fixture at the old Hawthorne Elementary School in Smyrna, helping plan whatever was going on, and doing the same at home.

Nathaniel Brown was concerned about human rights. Though he may be well known as a civil rights advocate in Norcross, he wanted to help anybody and everybody he could, not just blacks. “He was so determined to make a difference, said his daughter Linda Brown, who lives in Norcross.

Rick Anderson was a quiet, unassuming civil servant with no accounting background, but when he ventured opinions about municipal revenues and spending, people in government and business listened attentively. For 20 years he was the city of Atlanta’s budget director and for five more its chief financial officer.

In 1998, when Robert Dale Morgan was hired on as president and chief executive of the Atlanta 2000 Super Bowl Host Committee, he knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But as his career blossomed, similar opportunities seem to find him time and again.

Danny Barken’s life was hardly conventional, but he made sure it was meaningful. His success in reversing his life helped him overcome substance abuse and led to his later becoming a role model for adults and kids alike. “Just the other day one of our bartenders told me, ‘Danny is the guy we all want to be,’ and that pretty much sums it up,” said Margaret Sagarin, wife of Josh Sagarin, who is co-owner of the Front Page News bar-restaurant in Little Five Points.

Hubert W. Adams had big post-Army plans. After serving in World War II he was going to get married, go to college and eventually start a family. But the family came a bit faster than expected, and Mr. Adams put his educational pursuits on hold and went to work, so he could provide for his wife and child.

As a landscape architect, Hermann Weis could take the ordinary and make it beautiful, friends and family said. He could marry the sciences of engineering and the environment and create breathtaking spaces, small or large. “As an artist, he was in love with the natural world,” said his daughter, Kerstin Weis of Decatur.

Because two of their sons were afflicted with illness – one with schizophrenia, another with muscular dystrophy – Saul and Alice Sherr devoted a great part of their lives volunteering for organizations that combat those diseases and care for their victims.

Dr. Jerry Sutterfield had a way of smiling that let his family know he was having a good time. It was a smile that covered his whole face, and crept into his eyes. This smile was most often seen while Dr. Sutterfield was engaged in one of his favorite pastimes: Sailing.

An accomplished craftsman, handyman and engineer, Donald Harmon also had a passion for people and animals. "He never closed his door to any animal or person who needed help," said Trish Harmon, his wife of 29 years. "Every time we went to visit someone, he took a tool bag so he could fix something for them.

It is hard for friends of Harold A. Dawson Sr. to separate the businessman from the family man. He had a unique way of incorporating his family into his business affairs, they say. His two children echo a similar sentiment: They were aware of how important their father’s business was, but they also knew family trumped all.

Attorney Barry Phillips didn’t speak until he was ready, and when that time came, he used an economy of words. “Unlike many of us, Barry didn’t talk until he had something to say,” said Miles Alexander, a partner at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton and a long-time friend.

Judge Theodore Barner found love late in life. Though his career as a lawyer and judge came after a stint in hospital administration, it was first in his heart. “He loved being on the bench and he loved being part of the legal process,” said Judith Stout-Barner, his wife of 24 years.

Diana Aleman vividly remembers all of the people who used to crowd her small home in Decatur in the '60s. The people, many recently immigrated from Cuba, were there because her father, Luis Aleman, wanted to offer his countrymen and women a little advice, a bit of encouragement and a taste of home.

Amegie Undie was a busy woman. She was preparing to graduate from Emory University in May, researching master’s programs, volunteering her time and doing everything she could to change the world around her. Through all of this there were times Miss Undie was ill, but  she never let on to her friends, peers and professors.

For much of his quarter-century tenure as chief of the Roswell Fire Department from 1958 to 1983, Aubrey Reeves led a force largely made up of volunteers, yet he made this tricky personnel arrangement work. “The tutelage Chief Reeves gave us made us a much better fire department than one would expect from a volunteer force,” said current Fire Chief Ricky Spencer of Roswell.

One of Eric Thomas’ most harrowing experiences was hiding as a child with his missionary parents and siblings from rebels shooting up their village in the African nation of Congo during its move toward independence in the 1950s. “My family had to hide in the attic of our house and one of the kids dropped a marble down the stairs.

Fighting for the underdog, uniting the masses and seeking justice were top priorities for the Rev. Dwight Graves. He spent a lot of time intervening for others, through his ministry and civil rights advocacy. “He was passionate about helping people,” said his wife of 42 years, the Rev.

John Ouderkirk was a pilot by trade and a genealogist at heart. While he loved traveling the world, he got a special satisfaction from investigating his heritage, his wife said. “When he discovered no books had been written on the Ouderkirks, I said, ‘Well you best leave it alone, there’s probably a reason,’” Martha Ouderkirk said with a laugh.