Spring 2009: Alumni Ink
Mark of Greatness
Making My Mark: The Story of a Man Who Wouldn’t Stay in His Place
By Franchesca Winters 10C
The Honorable Marvin S. Arrington Sr. 67L, now a Fulton County Superior Court judge, has written Making My Mark: The Story of a Man Who Wouldn’t Stay in His Place (Mercer, 2008). Born in Grady Hospital in 1941, Arrington spent his childhood in some of Atlanta’s poorest neighborhoods, including the Grady Homes public housing project. His autobiography reveals how tenacity mixed with optimism led to many triumphal firsts in his life: He was one of two African American students to desegregate Emory’s School of Law, was the first African American to hold an administrative post at Emory (as student personnel adviser), and was the first African American to become partner at an Atlanta law firm before going on to establish his own firm, Arrington and Hollowell. He later became president of the Atlanta City Council and served Emory as a trustee.