- Collection:
- Athens Oral History Project, 2014-2016
- Title:
- Gwen O'Looney interviewed by Betsy Bean. 10 December 2014.
- Creator:
- O'Looney, Gwen Ingram
Bean, Betsy - Contributor to Resource:
- Bean, Betsy
- Date of Original:
- 2014-12-10
- Subject:
- Georgia--Athens
Women mayors
Georgia
Women mayors--Georgia
Athens (Ga.)--Politics and government
Politics and government - People:
- O'Looney, Gwen Ingram
- Location:
- United States, Georgia, Clarke County, Athens, 33.96095, -83.37794
- Medium:
- interviews
oral histories (literary works) - Type:
- Moving Image
- Format:
- video/mp4
- Description:
- Interviewed by Betsy Bean.
O'Looney discusses her initiative in creating a more participatory government by increasing communication between government and constituents. She discusses working to negotiate environmental concerns, such as reforming of the Clarke County landfill, creating a landfill partnership with neighboring Oglethorpe County, and creating a reservoir and water management system. O'Looney talks about her advocacy for water management and conservation measures, and the opposition she received, and she describes her working relationship with then UGA President Chuck Knapp on issues including the development of roads around the university, controlling football game traffic, and balancing the water use by the university's expansion. O'Looney recalls finding sponsors for Athens during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics to offset the cost of hosting, and the role of the Athens-UGA partnership in updating city and campus infrastructure and coordinating transportation of visitor in preparation of the events. O'Looney also discussed the improved relationship between university and city police, the idea of building a multimodal center for the bus system, and the development of the back of the Classic Center and preservation of the Foundry Street historic warehouses. She discusses the design and building of the entryway of highway 316 into Athens, its interaction with Loop 10, and negotiating the path of the road. She describes the redevelopment of East Athens, the investment of public funds for renewing housing, problems of gentrification, and the response by the black community. O'Looney also recalls the Widespread Panic CD release concert in downtown Athens, and working to address public opposition against it.
Gwendolyn Ingram O'Looney was born in Meridian, Mississippi and grew up in St. Simons Island, Georgia. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia. After graduation, she served as a nurse during the Vietnam War. Later in her career, she served as Director of the Youth Division of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, as state coordinator of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), and as founder of Community Connection. She served in the Human Resources department of former governor Jimmy Carter, and as director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. O'Looney served two terms on the Athens City Council, and later was elected to the office of mayor, otherwise known as Chief Elected Officer (CEO), of Athens. She was the first mayor of the newly-established unified Athens-Clarke County, where she served two terms. - Metadata URL:
- http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL361AOHP-005/ohms
- Language:
- eng
- Additional Rights Information:
- Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule.
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Athens Oral History Project, AOHP 005, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.
- Extent:
- 1 interview (112 min.) : sd., col.
- Original Collection:
- Athens Oral History Project
http://russelldoc.galib.uga.edu/russell/view?docId=ead/RBRL361AOHP-ead.xml - Holding Institution:
- Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
- Rights:
-
