Obituaries
Obituaries

Notable Atlanta researcher June Dobbs Butts dies

June Dobbs Butts, an accomplished researcher from a notable Atlanta family, died Monday from complications from a stroke. She was the daughter of John Wesley Dobbs, who witnessed Atlanta race riots in the early 1900s and who later became a city leader in civil rights. (RICH ADDICKS/AJC staff)
June Dobbs Butts, an accomplished researcher from a notable Atlanta family, died Monday from complications from a stroke. She was the daughter of John Wesley Dobbs, who witnessed Atlanta race riots in the early 1900s and who later became a city leader in civil rights. (RICH ADDICKS/AJC staff)
By Christopher Quinn
May 13, 2019

June Dobbs Butts, an accomplished researcher and childhood friend of Martin Luther King Jr., died Monday from complications from a stroke.

“She was one month shy of 91,” said Wendy Eley Jackson, a member of the family.

Butts graduated from Spelman College and earned a master’s degree from Columbia University. She taught in colleges and a medical school before being trained as a sex therapist by the famed American team of William Masters and Virginia Johnson. She served as a visiting scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and she also served on the board of Planned Parenthood.

Butts was the daughter of John Wesley Dobbs, a notable African American civic leader in Atlanta. Maynard Jackson, Atlanta’s first African American mayor, was her nephew.

Wendy Jackson said Butts loved traveling the world and was a pioneer in many ways.

Services will be held June 11, she said.

About the Author

Christopher Quinn is a writer and editor who has worked for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1999. He writes stories on Veterans Affairs, business including high-tech growth in metro Atlanta, Georgia's $72 billion farm economy, and he oversees assigning and editing news obituaries.

Follow Christopher Quinn on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Pat Epps founded Epps Air Service with his brothers at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in 1965. The fixed-base operator sold, fueled, chartered, stored and managed airplanes at the airport as Epps Aviation until it was sold in 2023. (Courtesy of the Epps family)

Credit: Epps Family

Pat Epps, pioneering force in aviation, dies at 91

Aviation pioneer Pat Epps founded what became Epps Aviation at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in the 1960s and later helped recover a WWII fighter jet under ice in Greenland.

OBITUARY

Dave Hayward, who chronicled Atlanta’s LGBTQ history, dead at 76

When it comes to Atlanta LGBTQ history, few people knew as much as Dave Hayward, who died at the age of 76.

The Latest

Pat Epps founded Epps Air Service with his brothers at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in 1965. The fixed-base operator sold, fueled, chartered, stored and managed airplanes at the airport as Epps Aviation until it was sold in 2023. (Courtesy of the Epps family)

Credit: Epps Family

Pat Epps, pioneering force in aviation, dies at 91

OBITUARY

Dave Hayward, who chronicled Atlanta’s LGBTQ history, dead at 76

George Olmstead, successful executive search firm founder, dies at 81

Featured

Inventor Lonnie Johnson stands with his Super Soaker water guns at JTEC Energy on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. Johnson, a former NASA engineer, is currently working on a new energy technology through his company’s JTEC device that turns thermal heat into usable energy. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Earth needs more energy. Atlanta’s Super Soaker creator may have a solution.

The legendary inventor of the Super Soaker, Lonnie Johnson, is refining technology in Atlanta that he thinks could help the planet reduce energy waste.

Teen GOP activist steps down from party leadership post

Greene County native and University of North Georgia student Ja’Quon Stembridge, 19, had run on boosting youth involvement in the party.

2025 SEC championship game: Kickoff time, TV channel, participants, ticket info

The 2025 SEC Championship Game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 6. Below you can find information on game time, TV channel and particpants for the game.