The legacy of longtime Gainesville businessman and philanthropist, James A. “Jim” Walters has been memorialized with a life-sized statue at Brenau University.
An unveiling ceremony of the statue was held Wednesday on the front lawn of the Walters House at 305 Boulevard. It is one of the many spaces at Brenau and across Hall County bearing the Walters name in recognition of his philanthropy, according to a press release.
“Jim meant so much not just to Gainesville, not just the whole county, but to the state of Georgia with all the many, not just philanthropic things he did, but his involvement in the ports of authority and things of that nature,” a close friend of Walters, Philip Wilheit said.
Walters also contributed to helping Brenau acquire the Downtown Center, formerly known as the Georgia Mountain Center, from the city of Gainesville. Today, the facility houses many of Brenau’s healthcare programs and serves as the cornerstone of the recently established Downtown Campus.
“I only knew him for a short period, but he made a lasting impact on my life,” Brenau University President Anne Skleder said. “More important. He made an impact on Brenau University in so many ways by being so generous and so present as a member of the Board of Trustees and as a benefactor in so many ways. All you have to do is walk around campus and you'll see his name everywhere.”
The statue was sculpted by regional artist Gregory Johnson and gifted to Brenau by friends of Walters. The statue is the fourth by Johnson on Brenau’s historic Gainesville Campus, including the iconic Lucile Golden Tiger near the Jacobs Building.
“We wanted to do something that was permanent,” CEO of Addison Leadership Group, John Addison said, “And one day as I was walking and noticed all the bronze statues on campus. It just dawned on me.”
According to his 2021 obituary, Walters was known to some as “Big Jim” because of “his big stature, his big smile, and his big laugh, but also for his big opinions, big advice, and most importantly his big heart.
A native of North Carolina, Walters moved to Gainesville in 1970 and was president and owner of James A. Walters Management Co.
Walters supported the community for decades through service to a number of boards and organizations including the Chattahoochee Country Club, Elachee Nature Museum Board, The Elks Club, the Gainesville College Foundation, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia Farm Bureau, Georgia Wildlife Federation, the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, Hall County Quality Growth Council, Lakeview Academy Board of Directors, Northeast Georgia Medical Center Foundation Board, United Way of Hall County and We Care, Inc.
Jim and his wife Peggy, who died in 2022, were married for 60 years and are survived by their two daughters and multiple grandchildren.
