A native of Savannah, and a lover of the Georgia coast, Alva Lines told people there was saltwater in his veins.
So in the ’70s, when developers wanted to encroach on the shoreline in front of the coastal home he bought from his parents, Lines sprang into action. He was among the voices that made sure the beaches and marshes belonged to the people of Georgia, said his grandson Michael Lines.
“Mr. Lines, and several people in business, realized what important resources marshes are, and in spite of some opposition, the Marshlands Protection Act was passed in the early ’70s,” said Ben Slade, executive director of the St. Simons Land Trust. “It was probably the most important thing for the coast of Georgia in history.”
Because of Alva Lines’ dedication to preserving the coast, Fred Lines said he is sure his father would not support the proposed development on Jekyll Island.
“We talked about it all of the time,” Lines said of his father. “He kept up with what was going on very closely. In fact, his mind was as sharp as a tack up until he had the stroke.”
Alva Burley Lines died Saturday, a week after suffering a massive stroke at the Atlanta home he shared with his wife of 73 years. He was 97.
A memorial service was held Monday at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta. The Cremation Society of Georgia was in charge of arrangements.
Lines came to Atlanta in the late ’30 to attend Emory. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1939, and in 1940 he married Mildred Jesse Rand. The couple raised five children.
Soon after they married, Lines enlisted in the military and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps. After his service, he returned to Atlanta, where he started Southeastern Films. The production company specialized in medical, scientific and biographical documentaries. Lines continued making films into the ’50s and then began to explore data storage on microfilm, his grandson said.
Lines was dedicated to his film career, but his work on preserving the coast is his legacy, his son said.
“If you look at places like Miami, and how they built right to the edge (of the water), that could have happened here if we didn’t have these laws,” Fred Lines said. “He helped create a legacy for Georgians through those landmark cases.”
In addition to his wife, son and grandson, Lines is survived by sons Alva Rand Lines of Belgium and Thomas Spotswood Lines of Atlanta; daughters Marianna Lines of Scotland and Lucy Bedell of Athens; nine grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
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