Wade Medlock III

James Wade Medlock, III (Wade) passed peacefully on February 8, 2020 at Emory Hospital, where he was also born on February 17, 1946 to parents Hazel Jones Medlock and James Wade Medlock, Jr. Wade was a lifelong resident of the Atlanta area (Clarkston, Druid Hills, and Decatur) and a 1964 graduate of Druid Hills High School. He served as class president his senior year, and he played lead guitar in two widely loved bands, The Four Rebels and The Salients, the latter of which reunited for a performance at their 25th high school class reunion. Wade attended Auburn University for his first two years of college, where he became a loved and respected member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Wade transferred to the University of Georgia in 1966 to study journalism, then to Georgia State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Journalism in 1972. He also completed coursework for a master’s program in Political Science at Georgia State.

He began his broadcast career as a college student, working at radio stations in Auburn, Athens, and Atlanta. For well over the next 40 years, Wade had a deeply influential journalism career in Atlanta. In 1967, he became a reporter and anchor for WGST (920 AM), which for a time was affiliated with and located on the campus of Georgia Tech. He continued in these roles from 1967-1969 and 1971-1972 and also served as news assignment editor for WAGA-TV in 1970. In 1972, he served as press officer for Wyche Fowler for Congress. That same year, Wade co-founded and served as news director for the Georgia Network (GN), a state-wide radio news network which grew to 140 stations, becoming the second largest in the country at that time. Wade continued with GN from 1972-1974 and again from 1976-1983. In between those times, he was the public information officer for the Atlanta Regional Commission (1974-1976). He also served as president of the Georgia Association of Newscasters from 1978-1979.

Wade returned to WGST in 1983, which became NewsRadio 640 in 1989. Wade held roles as General Assignment Reporter, News Director, and Anchor at WGST. He was known by many in the newsroom as “Monkfish Medlock,” as a mentor and trusted friend, as a widely respected colleague, and as someone whose “full belly laugh” could transform the newsroom. Many in the Atlanta area may recall listening to Wade in the mornings, sharing his incredibly well-crafted and careful work on a daily basis, as well as coverage published under the name, “Atlanta Sidestreets.” In 1999, he accepted an offer to join Headline News at CNN as a producer. Over the course of the next seven years, Wade produced content for the Headline News Production Unit, for the Headline News Ticker, and for “Headline Newsbreaks” for air on Turner South. Wade also contributed voice-overs, wrote a procedure manual, and mentored others for the Ticker and Turner South.

Throughout his career, Wade was well-loved for his mentoring, integrity, sense of humor, and his sustained commitment towards an ethical practice of journalism. Wade was also recognized and honored with many awards. He was a recipient of Associated Press Radio-TV Excellence Awards in multiple categories for almost ten consecutive years, as well as awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Atlanta Achievement in Radio Award, employee honors from both WGST and CNN, and an Award of Merit for Best Documentary, “Gold Dome Reckoning,” by the GA Association of Broadcasters (GABBY).

Following his time at CNN, Wade enjoyed sharing his wealth of knowledge about various aspects of Atlanta history, restaurants, music venues, and directions around town while working on the hospitality team and as a field training officer for the Ambassador Force of Downtown Atlanta from 2006-2007. Wade also enjoyed his time as a program manager for the Atlanta Community Tool Bank from 2007-2008 and afterwards working for his own business, Editor Eagle, a copy-editing service for scholastic and advertising clients.

Throughout his life, Wade was equally as passionate about family (cats included), music, and community as he was about his career. Wade was a beloved member of several church congregations over the years, and most recently found a special connection with communities of care at North Decatur Presbyterian Church. For anyone who shared time or jammed with Wade at his different homes, his array of well-loved guitars likely comes to mind, yet not only for “display.” Wade would often welcome folks to pick one up and play. Prompted by his steadfast love for the pedal steel guitar and sharing that love in community with others, Wade was among those who founded the Georgia Steel Guitar Association in 2003. He also collaborated with friends Tom Moorman and Bud Veazey on the design and creation of his own eight string lap steel guitar, which Wade named the “Jones 8” in honor of his mother and grandmother. He was instrumental (to reference his sense of humor) in the creation of several bands and played with various groups of musicians under the names The Goatville Jam; Hicks with Picks; This, That, and the Other; Possum Supper; The Potato Chips; and The Cross-Town Trio. He played regularly with the Atlanta Open Band, and organized a deeply loved Country Jam, which continues to gather and commence with “mayhem” at Wesley Woods Towers (where Wade was a resident from 2017-2019) the first Thursday of the month. A beautiful and beloved person, parent, grandparent, son, cousin, colleague, community member, mentor, and dear friend, Wade will be dearly missed and lives on in all sorts of ways with scores of people, with his two children, Meghan Cobleigh Medlock and Caitlin Medlock Spencer; their respective partners, Chad Taylor and Matthew Spencer; and grandchildren Violet Medlock, Elzada (Essie) Taylor-Medlock, and Thea Taylor-Mogg, as well as many forms of family which were always so important to Wade.

A service in celebration of Wade’s life will be held in the main sanctuary of North Decatur Presbyterian Church at 611 Medlock Road, Decatur, GA, 30033 on Saturday, March 7, 2020 at 11 a.m., officiated by Rev. David Lewicki. A reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall. Some of Wade’s cremains will be interred at Melwood Cemetery next to his parents’ graves during a separate ceremony.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in memory of Wade to any of the following: ACLU (www.aclu.org); Atlanta Humane Society (www.atlantahumane.org or mail to: 981 Howell Mill Road NW, Atlanta, GA 30318); Georgia Public Broadcasting (www.gpb.org, or 800-222-4788); The Georgia News Lab (www.georgianewslab.org); Georgia Steel Guitar Association (make checks payable to Bill Ferguson, treasurer, PO Box 279, Molino, FL 32577); or any hospice of your choice.