FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024 | maconmagazine.com 69
ABOVE Marty
and Elmo Koplin
often bring a
Satterfield's feast
to their UGA
tailgates. Photo
courtesy of the
Koplin family.
LEFT Ken Blair
poses in front
of a sign for the
African American
Alumni tailgate.
Photo courtesy of
Ken Blair.
DA W G B I T E S
Barney Hester, retired athletic director for Bibb
County School District and former head football
coach at Howard High School and Tattnall Square
Academy, knows a thing or two about how to
celebrate football season. An avid University of
Georgia fan, Hester and his wife Lynn have attended
every out-of-town UGA game for the last two years.
"We went to South Carolina, Missouri, Mississippi
State, and Kentucky in the RV in 2022," he explained.
They also drove to Jacksonville and flew to California
for the National Championship game that season.
"This year we went to Auburn and Tennessee in the
RV, drove to Vanderbilt, Florida, and to Miami for the
"We
typically
grill hot
dogs and
burgers
with our TV
set up under
the UGA
tent in the
Print Lot."
- Barney
Hester
Orange Bowl," he said. "Our goal is to visit all of the
SEC stadiums."
Hester and his wife travel in the RV, while their
two adult daughters and their husbands attend
games when possible. The Hesters have six seats
for home games, but with eight grandchildren and
the adult children, they are seldom all able to attend
home games at the same time. When together at a
home game, he said, "We typically grill hot dogs and
burgers with our TV set up under the UGA tent in
the Print Lot. Six go in to watch the game in person,
while the others stay at the tailgate and watch it
live on TV."
