2025 Board Members

Garrison Baker

President

Garrison was born and raised in White County, Georgia on January 9, 1955. His parents were Buford and Louise (Cantrell) Baker. He attended Cleveland Elementary and White County High School, as well as Gainesville College and the University of Georgia. Garrison is married to Susan McCollum Baker and they have two sons and seven grandchildren. Susan and Garrison are members of Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Nacoochee Valley where he currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Deacons and teaches the adult Sunday School Class. He is also an active member of the White County Camp of the Gideons International. In 1983 he was elected as the judge of the probate court for White County and served in that position until his retirement on December 31, 2020. He continues to serve as the municipal court judge for the City of Cleveland and as a part-time magistrate for White County. Garrison has been a member of the White County Historical Society Board of Directors since 2005.In addition, he currently serves on the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Council of Georgia; the Board of Commissioners for the Probate Judges Retirement Fund of Georgia; the North Georgia Folk Pottery Museum Board of Trustees; and serves as the chairperson of the Board of Directors fo rNinth District Opportunity, Incorporated. In his spare time, he remains actively involved in the preservation and conservation of northeast Georgia's local history and cultural heritage, and has authored two books on local history, "In The Shadow of Yonah, A History of White County, Georgia" and ''A History of Crescent Hill Church." Susan and Garrison live in the Blue Creek community of White County, and they are enjoying their retirement years by spending time with their grandchildren and traveling.

Claudia Head Brathe

Vice President

Claudia was born in Cleveland at the former Dr. Neal's Clinic on West Underwood Street and interestingly lived on same that street until she left for college. After graduating from Brenau Women’s College (now University), she worked 13 years at the college, first as a recruiter and then the Alumnae Director. It was during those years as a recruiter, traveling in eight states in the southeast, that she became interested in history &architecture. After leaving Brenau she worked several years as a real estate agent for the Norton Agency in their new Cumming office and a brief stint for the Forsyth County Bank. With her keen love for history growing, she went back to school and received a Master of Historic Preservation from UGA. Soon thereafter, Claudia accepted a job with Preservation North Carolina, a statewide non-profit preservation organization. There, she became the Director of their N.E. Regional Office for 17 years in Edenton until retiring in 2016.Three years later she and her late husband sold their 1910 Colonial Revival home and moved to Georgia - arriving the same time as Covid. In May 2021 they moved into their new home in Cleveland on East Underwood Street - the opposite end of the street where she grew up. As she explained, “I’ve come full circle. I am back on Underwood Street enjoying the natural beauty of White County, my family, my church, and the warm friendships I'd left years before.” Claudia is also a member of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.

susan baker

Secretary

Susan is a lifelong resident of White County. She was raised in the Blue Creek community by parents Marvin and Katie McCollum. She is the youngest of four siblings, Janice (Roberts), Garnett and Marvin Jr. Susan graduated from White County High School and attended both Truett McConnell University and the University of North Georgia.  She worked for almost a dozen years with the White County News and the Telegraph newspapers before taking a position at Habersham EMC in 1991.  She retired in 2018 after 27 years.  She married her sweetheart Garrison Baker in 1978. After living in the city of Cleveland for 16 years, the Bakers returned to her neck of the woods and built their forever home on McCollum family property that dates back at least seven generations. She and Garrison have two grown sons and daughter-in-laws, Joe and Karen Baker of Dallas, GA; and Cody and Heather Baker of Cleveland. Susan will tell you the best part of the Baker clan are their seven grandchildren: Luke, Jack, Haley, Hudson, Layli Kate, Lucy and Emersyn. Susan is a member of Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Sautee, where she serves as a director of the Youth, Missions, and Community Outreach Program.  She also serves on the North Georgia Health Systems Advisory Committee, the Habersham EMC Operation Round Up Board, and is President of the White County Gideon Camp Ladies Auxiliary.

Justin Sutton

Treasurer

Justin is a resident of Cleveland, where he lives with his wife, Molly, daughters, Ava and Rosie, and dog, George. He has served on the board since 2019, currently as treasurer. He has a keen interest in preserving history and making sure that his daughters know all about where they're from and why White County and North Georgia is so special. "Knowing and holding onto history is one thing that will help keep our community such a wonderful place to live. That's why it's important for us to do all we can to make sure it isn't forgotten."

Janet Cox

Janet has been a Life member of the Historical Society since 1998. She has served on the Board of Directors for several years. She spent 32 years as a teacher in the White County Schools ,and is a lifelong resident of the area. She is an active member of Town Creek Baptist Church, where she is a member of the choir and used to help with the Vacation Bible School programs. She has organized many of the various programs and events held at the Historic Courthouse Museum over the years. Janet resides with her husband, Clifford Cox. They have three children and seven grandchildren.

Emory Jones

Emory grew up in White County, Georgia and received an Agricultural Journalism Degree from UGA. After a stint in the Air Force, he joined Gold Kist, Inc. in Atlanta as Publications Manager. He has been the Southeastern editor for Farm Journal Magazine and Executive Vice President at Freebairn & Company, an Atlanta-based advertising agency where he managed the firm's agricultural accounts. Emory interviewed, photographed, and wrote articles about farmers and agri-business in all 50 states durin ghis journalism career. He has written and co-produced two documentaries and seven books, including White County 101, Distant Voices: The Story of the Nacoochee Valley Indian Mound, Heart of a Co-Op -The HEMC Story, Zipping Through Georgia, Helen 101, Memories Etched in Pott'ry, and The Valley Where They Danced, a novel set in the North Georgia mountains. Three of his books, The Valley Where They Danced, Memories Etched in Pott'ry, and Zipping Through Georgia, have been produced as plays at various Northeast Georgia theaters. In addition to the White County Historical Society board, he also serves on the Helen Arts and Heritage Council and Friends of Hardman Farm boards. As an avid folk pottery collector, he serves as a Trustee for the Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia. Emory and his wife, Judy, and cat, Rowdy Yates, live on Yonah Mountain in White County, Georgia.

Terry Goodger

Cleveland resident, Terry Goodger, was bornin Texas but grew up in Louisiana. After receiving a degree in Industrial Technology from Southeastern Louisiana University, Terry served in the United States Marine Corps from 1963-1966. Thereafter, he served as a Captain in the reserves. In 1964 he married the love of his life, Barbara and made her a Marine Corps wife. They now have two grown daughters, three granddaughters and one grandson. Terry and Barbara moved to Marietta, Georgia in 1987and six years later in 1993 bought a weekend home in White County. “We absolutely loved it and within a few months decided to move to Cleveland on a permanent basis,” Terry said. And he brought more people with him- his parents. They moved to White County a few short months later in September. In 2002 Terry retired after owning a commercial millworks business. Terry and Barbara immediately immersed themselves in the community. They are members of the Cleveland First Baptist Church where Terry serves as a deacon, Sunday school teacher and the financial administrator. He is also a member of the American Legion Roy Head Post 16, the North Georgia Veterans Society, Chairman of the Community Helping Hands Clinic, White County Rotary Club (past President), and has served on the Cleveland Downtown Development Authority since 2008.Terry also served as a County Commissioner for 14 years. “Although I spent more time in this role than any of the others, I have to say I really enjoyed it,” he shares. While in office, one of his biggest dreams for a county park came to fruition with the construction of Freedom Park, located in downtown Cleveland. It plays host to several community events per year, and is enjoyed by citizens and tourists alike. His hobbies include genealogy and coin and stamp collections.

Mark Johnson

Mark Johnson was born at the old CrawfordLong Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia on December 25, 1955.He spent many weekends, summers, and all vacations atthe family property in the Blue Creek area of White County.This was due to his father having been born there and bothpaternal grandparents also from that general area. Markwent to work for Fulton County Georgia just after highschool. He worked for just over three years for the Clerkof Superior Court, followed by just over eleven years withthe Sheriff's Department after which he transferred to theCriminal Investigations Division of the Solicitor-GeneralsOffice. After a thirty-one year career with the county, Markretired as Chief Investigator in 2004.Mark is married to his high school sweetheart, WandaJohnson. They have one son who has a fabulous wifeand a grandson who is the apple of "PopPop's" eye!Mark and Wanda realized their dream of moving toWhite County full time in 2008. Mark's involvementwith the Historical Society began in 2007 when hejoined and began volunteering during the constructionof their house. This involvement was to be expectedas his great great grandfather, W.R. Power, served asClerk of Superior Court as well as having pastoredseveral area Baptist churches from the late 1800's tothe mid 1920's. Among these were what is now knownas Cleveland First Baptist Church, where Mark servesas an usher and deacon. Another of Mark's relatives,Clifford Campbell, served as Clerk of the Superior Courtfor forty years!On his paternal grandfather's side, Julius Johnson, hisgreat grandfather, farmed in the Blue Creek district formany years and raised eleven children there. Becausemany of those were daughters, Mark is related to a number of well-known family names in that section ofthe county including, but not limited to Stovall, Hefner,Black, Jackson and others. Because of this long historyof his own family here, Mark went from being a volunteerat the Historical Society, to serving as a Board member,vice president and then as president for several terms.He still enjoys serving as a Board member and hopesto continue to enjoy the Historical Society as long aspossible!

Kent Robinson

Kent is a resident of Clermont, where he resides with his wife, the former Debi Abernathy of Helen. He’s originally from southern Illinois, and he retired from the Army in 1995 while stationed in northern Indiana. Upon his retirement, he decided to relocate to Georgia. They joined the Historical Society as Life members in 2022 due to their love of history. Kent can be found on most Wednesdays and Thursdays at the Courthouse Museum volunteering his time and knowledge about the military and all things Civil War related.

Annie Sutton

Annie is a lifelong resident of Cleveland. She has one son, Ashley Shannon Sutton. Her parents were Guy and Lillian Tate Sutton. She has five sisters: Lillie Cantrell, Bobbie Cantrell, Cora Sutton, Henrietta Sutton, and Melvina Jackson (deceased) and one brother: Guy Rufus Sutton(deceased). She is a graduate of White County High School, and she received a degree in Business Education from North Georgia Technical School. She was Customer Service Manager at Ingles for 20 years, during which time she also served the citizens of Cleveland as a council member of Ward 2. While serving on the City Council, she completed over 300 training hours at the Carl Vinson Institute of the University of Georgia. This course of study enhanced her knowledge of governmental policies and procedures. She was chosen to serve on the Board of Directors of  the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission and was recognized as Member of the Year. She also served as First Vice President on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Municipal Association and was honored to receive recognition from the Association for Leadership, Excellence, Achievement, Distinction and Dedication .Most of all, she really loves serving. You can usually find her volunteering and helping people.

Charlie Thomas

Charlie has served on the Board of Directors for several years. He is a lifelong resident of White County, where he and his wife, Barbara Lewis Thomas reside in the Town Creek Community. They have raised their children, Charlsie and Trey, on family property where he and his 5 brothers grew up. He has served on the Property and Grounds Committee and presented programs throughout the years for the Historical Society. Charlie has a great love of history and the preservation of our heritage here in our area. Recently he has gone on the Board of Directors of the Sautee Pottery Museum due to his interest in the Meaders’ pottery and other artists who have kept that tradition alive. He has a great love for our Country and organized the White County Color and Honor Guard that provides military funeral honors and promotes patriotism within our community and surrounding areas. Charlie serves as Vice-Chairman of the White County Board of Education and strives to make a positive difference in the lives of our children.

Nadine Wardenga

Nadine was raised in Maysville, Georgia. After graduating from Commerce High School, she attended Toccoa Falls College in Stephens County. She and her husband Tom were married over 39 years ago at the Cleveland First Baptist Church and have made their home in White County since moving here in 1984. They are parents to a grown son, John. With their love for historical buildings, they reside in the City of Cleveland in a restored 124-year-old home. She and her husband own Wardenga Enterprises Inc. that now distributes Nadine’s Chicken Salad and Nadine’s Pimento Cheese from one end of the state of Georgia to the other (Valdosta to Jasper). Their company, located behind their house, is also in a restored building that was moved from one part of the city to the current location. In conjunction with this enterprise, she and Tom also operate Nadine’s Classic Cuisine Catering. Until the Covid shutdown, they also operated Nadine’s on the Square in Cleveland. Nadine is also an Etiquette Consultant and certified estate appraiser and estate sales. Nadine wears many hats within the city & county government, serving as Chairman of the City of Cleveland Zoning and Planning Commission, Chairman of the Board of Health for White County & Chairman of the White County Library Building Fund Committee. In their spare time, she and Tom spend a lot of hours at their property, Glenn’s Orchard and Chapel (named in memory of their son Glenn) in Kellum Valley. There they grow fruit trees and maintain a very special chapel and grounds that is open to the public. Nadine shares, “It has become a community effort.  People have been wonderful about keeping it clean and we are delighted that it has become a place for people to come reflect, pray, and spend some time.”