Friends and family are remembering James Sibley for his decades of service to the community and his “unflappable” leadership of some of Atlanta most recognizable institutions.
Sibley, 96, died Thursday at home of natural causes. He was a longtime partner at Atlanta-based law firm King & Spalding and served on the boards of Coca-Cola, SunTrust Banks, Emory University, Oglethorpe University and Berry College in Rome.
He also was vice chair of the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the estate of the longtime Coke president, among other charitable groups.
“He was one of the most remarkable people I have ever known,” said former Emory President Jim Laney. “His rock-ribbed integrity, his brilliant and incisive mind, and generous and loyal heart made him a true and cherished friend and counselor. His penetrating comments could unnerve but were always on the mark. That made his counsel sought after by us all. I know of no one who didn’t stand in awe of Jimmy even while we loved him.”
His son, James Sibley Jr., said his father gave back to the community because he believed it was his responsibility. He recalled a speech his father gave upon receiving an award for his charity work with the Woodruff Foundation where he deflected the praise back into the audience.
“He stood in front and said, ‘I want to thank you. All I do is give out money. You are the ones who are doing the hard work’,” his son said. “He believed it in his bones. He was the most modest philanthropist you’ve ever seen.”
“He didn’t think what he did was special or unusual. It was something you did,” said Jack Sibley, another of James Sibley’s five children. “That’s the way he was and that’s the way we were brought up.”
James Sibley was born in Aug. 5, 1919, to another prominent Atlanta attorney. John A. Sibley, a King & Spalding partner who served on the Coke board from 1964 to 1980, played a central role in leading the state through school desegregation by heading a commission on integration that came to be called the Sibley Commission.
James Sibley graduated from Princeton University and attended Woodrow Wilson College of Law and Harvard Law School. But like many in his generation, he paused his professional career to join the war effort during World War II.
A pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps, Sibley was returning from his first bombing mission in 1942 when he was shot down. He spent 18 months in a German prisoner of war camp.
He never spoke much about the experience, but Robert Hays, chairman of King & Spalding, said many in the firm credited Sibley’s calm demeanor to his wartime experience.
“People used to describe him as unflappable no matter the circumstance, and that was attributed to his being shot down in World War II,” Hays said. “It gave him the perspective to rise above the day-to-day noise.”
Hays said Sibley was “an iconic partner” who forged relationship between King & Spalding and some of its most important corporate clients.
“He continued to play the role of advisor for that kind of client for a long time,” he said.
In total, Hays said, Sibley’s lifelong impact is impressive.
“When you look at his contributions to the firm, the community and the nation, he was an example of what we rightly call the Greatest Generation,” he said.
Sibley is preceded in death by his wife, Karen, who died in 2014 at the age of 92, and a son, Quintus, who also died last year. Survivors include four children, nine grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service is planned for 11 a.m. Tuesday at All Saints Episcopal Church in Atlanta.
Related: More about James Sibley: Known as Jimmy to his friends, Sibley was a leader in Atlanta business and civic concerns
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