Chuck Driebe was much respected by his peers for his political savvy, his legal acumen, and his service to his community and profession.
Said former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, "Chuck was one of the greatest Democrats I've ever known. He must have set some kind of record attending every one of our national conventions since 1968."
Mr. Barnes added that whenever some political task needed doing, he felt he could always count on Mr. Driebe, a longtime Democratic Party operative, to get it done right.
"I also admired Chuck as a practicing attorney," Mr. Barnes said. "He had a strong sense of fairness. He would take cases whether or not there was a chance he would be paid if he thought the client was being mistreated."
Former Atlanta Mayor Sam Massell, now president of the Buckhead Coalition, appointed Mr. Driebe in the early 1970s to serve on the Atlanta Board of Aldermen, shortly thereafter renamed the City Council.
"Chuck served ably with sterling integrity and commitment to our city," Mr. Massell said. "With his command of public policymaking, he became a real asset to the board. He made me proud, and he made me look good."
Wyche Fowler, a former congressman and U.S. senator from Georgia, credited Mr. Driebe with getting the south MARTA line to run directly into the airport terminal. Back in the 1970s, there were several developers who had bought properties in the vicinity of the airport in hopes of getting the council to pick their site for the airport stop, said Mr. Fowler, who was council president at the time.
"Chuck and I thought that would be absurd. Each of those sites would have required shuttle bus service to take MARTA passengers a mile or more to the airport -- an inconvenience to the public," said Mr. Fowler, now living in Atlanta and practicing international law.
"Through 17 council votes Chuck worked behind the scenes to prevent any of those sites from getting majority approval. Finally, the exhausted council members voted 9 to 9 to run MARTA into the airport, and I as council president got to cast the tie-breaking vote in favor, but Chuck was the one who made it happen."
Mr. Fowler said Mr. Driebe had a refreshing sense of independence in anything he undertook. "Chuck could have worked for any of the big firms in Atlanta, but instead he chose to run his law office by himself, later in partnership with his son. Any lawyer will tell you it's extremely tough to be a sole practitioner."
Tom Houck, an Atlanta political consultant and former radio personality, said Mr. Driebe was one of the first "crossover politicians" who brought black and white voters together for a common goal.
"I first met Chuck in the early 1970s," he said, "when he got me and others involved in an effort to win black voter support for Zell Miller when he campaigned successfully for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor."
Charles "Chuck" Driebe, 77, of Atlanta died Tuesday at Emory University Hospital of cancer complications. A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Monday at H.M. Patterson & Sons, Spring Hill.
Born and reared in Pennsylvania, Mr. Driebe came to Atlanta as a military policeman assigned to Fort McPherson. After completing his military service, he was accepted into the University of Georgia School of Law, finishing first in his class, and then he opened his law office in Jonesboro.
Bill Ide, an Atlanta attorney and former president of the American Bar Association, said Mr. Driebe dedicated himself to setting higher standards for lawyers. "Whether it involved local, state or national bar groups, Chuck would take on these tasks with his characteristic big smile and see to it the job got done," he said.
"Chuck had a longstanding commitment to improve the justice system for the rich, the poor and the middle class without regard to their history, race or creed. He wanted quality legal resources available to all," said John Clark of Dallas, a onetime member of the ABA's Board of Governors.
A weekend ritual for Mr. Driebe for more than 30 years was what he called the Driebe Invitational -- a gathering of friends for doubles matches at the Bitsy Grant Tennis Center at 10:30 a.m. most Sunday mornings.
"Actually, it was more social than competitive," said Nick Taylor, a former Atlantan and now a writer in New York. "There was never any slamming of racquets on the court or even any testy words. It was all good-natured play among the people Chuck would invite from the worlds of politics, business, sports and the media."
Survivors include his wife, Gail Driebe; two sons, Charles Driebe Jr. of Atlanta and Mitch Driebe of Flagstaff, Ariz.; two daughters, Anne Vari of Davidson, N.C., and Elizabeth Driebe of Flagstaff, Ariz.; and six grandchildren.
