Greg Markley Articles

Since 1980, my second home: Hartsfield-Jackson Airport

Publisher's Note: Observer columnist Greg Markley was tragically killed in a car accident while vacationing in Nevada this past weekend. He loved to travel and never met a stranger. It seems somewhat fitting that this particular column was the last one submitted, as...

Israel-Hamas war: Blood and heartache continues

BY GREG MARKLEY OPINION — I taught a soldier in 2015 at Fort Benning (now Fort Moore) who was a combat survivor of the Iraq war with an interesting name: It was something like “Ahmad Bashar.” Ahmad, or sometimes Ahmed, means “the praised one.” His last name means in...

To be or not to be in college? Part two

OPINION — Several years ago, my wife and I interviewed several house painters for a major project. Most had the required experience, but we received high praise for one particular painter. Unlike some applicants, this 40-ish man did not have a college degree. We hired...

To be or not to be in college? Part one

BY GREG MARKLEY OPINION — Until age 11, I had never been on a college campus. On TV, actors spoke of college on “Leave It To Beaver” and “My Three Sons.” That deficiency changed in 1967 when on a trip to New Hampshire. My father drove to Dartmouth College, an Ivy...