Latest news with #WestminsterSchools
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Yahoo
Westminster community mourns loss of Coach Gary Jones after body recovered from Lake Oconee
Heartbreak and grief, that's the feeling of the community where Gary Jones taught and coached. Jones' body was found in Lake Oconee Sunday afternoon, where he disappeared more than a month ago. Channel 2′s Candace McCowan was at Westminster Schools, where Jones taught and coached, after speaking to the families he impacted. At the school on Monday, they held a prayer in Jones' honor, but the parents said they couldn't let the opportunity pass without letting the world know what his impact on the students was. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] 'I remember last year, my 10th graders were all in a flurry sometime in the late winter, early spring, about baking cookies. They wanted to bake cookies and take them to Gary Jones' class for his birthday,' parent Christine Quillian told McCowan. Quillian had three daughters in Jones' physics class at Westminster. He taught and coached at the private school for more than 20 years. For the students in his classroom, he was special. Quillian's daughter sent her a text about Jones last night reading 'First semester physics exam, he wrote on the front page of the exam 'The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord makes his face shine upon you and to be at peace.'' TRENDING STORIES: Body of beloved teacher found a month after vanishing on Lake Oconee Sheriff says despite speculation, he believes missing teacher is still in Lake Oconee Lake Oconee search: Channel 2 gets exclusive look at equipment being used to find missing teacher Wallet, credit cards found in boat of teacher who vanished on Lake Oconee Search crews say it could be weeks before locating coach missing in Lake Oconee Family of teacher who vanished on Lake Oconee releases statement 'My daughter said, 'you know, that just gave me so much comfort,'' Quillian said. Jones and his fiancée Joycelyn Wilson disappeared on Lake Oconee on Feb. 8. For search crews, investigators and Jones' family, the past month has been grueling, but it's also been hard for the young students whose minds he'd shaped over the years. His disappearance taught them a final lesson, on grief. 'It's a process, there's some laughs and some tears,' Quillian said. Another student shared a Net Force award he received, signed by Jones, for sustained outstanding effort. It's an award they want search crews to know they deserve. 'There's been so much strength and effort to find him,' Quillian said. 'Not wanting to leave him behind and not wanting to leave him alone.'' Those students have even visited Lake Oconee multiple times to show their appreciation for the search. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Yahoo
Body of missing high school coach in Georgia found in lake month after reported missing
March 10 (UPI) -- The body of a high school coach was found one month after he and his fiancee were reported missing aboard a 12-foot boat in central Georgia. Gary Jones, a physics teacher and the track and field coach at private Westminster Schools in Atlanta, was found on Lake Oconee about noon Sunday, according to Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills. He was located in about 45 feet of water and about 100 yards from where the body of Jones' fiancee, Spelman College instructor Joycelyn Wilson, was located one day after they were missing on Feb. 8. They had planned to get married this Friday The man-made reservoir is about 84 miles east of Atlanta. "This has gone on for 29 days, the longest rescue or recovery that I've ever been involved in in my half-century in law enforcement," the sheriff told The Atlanta Journal Constitution. He was last seen alive when he launched the boat at Fish Tale Marina to celebrate his 50th birthday. Once his boat was in the water, Jones steered it to the hotel, where he picked up Wilson. The empty two-seater boat and his sneakers were found floating about 3 miles northwest of the Wallace Dam, which separates Oconee from Lake Sinclair to the south toward Milledgeville. Wilson's body was found the next day. She was 49, according to her obituary. Searchers used sonar, cadaver dogs, helicopters and drones. The search was suspended March 3. Authorities turned to Keith Cormican, founder of Bruce's Legacy, a Wisconsin-based volunteer organization that provides search and recovery operations for drowned victims. Cormican used its advanced sonar equipment to locate Jones. "He's very successful, very well known around the country, and he's literally traveled the world finding bodies," Sills said. His new $85,000 side-scan sonar can see about 100 feet underwater. Cormican trawled much of the deep-water portion of the lake Saturday, and Sunday focused on shallower water's standing timber. He called it "an underwater forest." "We went into the timber this morning and we just started our search, mowing back and forth," he told The Atlanta Journal Constitution. "It's a very emotional feeling, knowing that we were going to be able to give them their brother back," added Cormican, who started his nonprofit in 2013 in honor of his firefighter brother who died in a drowning rescue. Jones' brother, Michael Jones, was informed the body was found. "This has been probably one of the worst 29 days of our life. And, and we depended heavily on our faith," Michael Jones told WMAZ. "Our Heavenly Father brought us through. He's still sustaining us, and we have come to a new level of faith, of strength, and we just encourage everyone to continue to pray for us," Michael said. The independent Christian K-12 school has an enrollment of about 1,900 students. On Monday, the Westminster School President Keith Evans released a statement, . "Gary had such a positive impact on his students over the course of more than two decades at Westminster and he enjoyed the respect and affection of his fellow teachers and coaches as well as parents and alumni," Evans said.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
Sheriff hopes search for body can solve mystery of 2 boaters who went missing on Georgia lake
ATLANTA (AP) — Rescuers searched for a second body Friday, one week after two boaters went missing on a Georgia lake that draws tourists from around the South. The body of Joycelyn Wilson, a mathematics instructor at Spelman College, a historically black institution in Atlanta, was found Sunday in Lake Oconee. Her boating partner Gary Jones remains missing. Jones is a track and field coach at the Westminster Schools, an exclusive Atlanta private school community. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Their empty boat had been discovered Saturday night, circling in the water. Jones' shoes were later found floating in the water not far from where Wilson's body and the boat were discovered. Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills is not describing the case as a boating accident or anything else at this point. 'We have ruled nothing out at this point in time," Sills told The Associated Press on Friday. It's not just 'a simple drowning,' he added. The sheriff said he's awaiting a final autopsy report from the medical examiner. The sheriff's office has obtained video of Wilson and Jones launching their small boat from a local marina. That's not far from where they had been staying at The Lodge on Lake Oconee, southeast of Atlanta. 'Lakes and rivers don't give up bodies until they get ready to,' Sills said. 'This is not a rescue operation. This is a recovery operation at this juncture and sooner or later that body will come up.' A Giant Schnauzer trained to find cadavers has joined the search, which involved about a dozen government vessels and another half-dozen private boats on Thursday. A helicopter and underwater sonar are also being used in the area that includes water as deep as 80 feet (24 meters). In his more than five decades in law enforcement, 'I've never seen this many people involved in a search for a dead body before,' Sills said. 'Unless the weather changes to prevent us from being out there, we'll continue to search,' he said.
Associated Press
14-02-2025
- Associated Press
Sheriff hopes search for body can solve mystery of 2 boaters who went missing on Georgia lake
ATLANTA (AP) — Rescuers searched for a second body Friday, one week after two boaters went missing on a Georgia lake that draws tourists from around the South. The body of Joycelyn Wilson, a mathematics instructor at Spelman College, a historically black institution in Atlanta, was found Sunday in Lake Oconee. Her boating partner Gary Jones remains missing. Jones is a track and field coach at the Westminster Schools, an exclusive Atlanta private school community. Their empty boat had been discovered Saturday night, circling in the water. Jones' shoes were later found floating in the water not far from where Wilson's body and the boat were discovered. Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills is not describing the case as a boating accident or anything else at this point. 'We have ruled nothing out at this point in time,' Sills told The Associated Press on Friday. It's not just 'a simple drowning,' he added. The sheriff said he's awaiting a final autopsy report from the medical examiner. The sheriff's office has obtained video of Wilson and Jones launching their small boat from a local marina. That's not far from where they had been staying at The Lodge on Lake Oconee, southeast of Atlanta. 'Lakes and rivers don't give up bodies until they get ready to,' Sills said. 'This is not a rescue operation. This is a recovery operation at this juncture and sooner or later that body will come up.' A Giant Schnauzer trained to find cadavers has joined the search, which involved about a dozen government vessels and another half-dozen private boats on Thursday. A helicopter and underwater sonar are also being used in the area that includes water as deep as 80 feet (24 meters). In his more than five decades in law enforcement, 'I've never seen this many people involved in a search for a dead body before,' Sills said.
Axios
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Actor Brian Baumgartner's Best Day Ever in Atlanta
When Brian Baumgartner is in town, you can find him golfing, cheering on the Atlanta Braves or enjoying a medium-rare stake at Marcel. We asked the Atlanta native and Westminster Schools graduate — whom you might know as Kevin from "The Office" — to describe his ideal day in the city: 🏌️ How he starts the day: Baumgartner enjoys his morning on the green, playing a round of golf at East Lake, with Tom Glavine, John Smoltz or Greg Maddux. Zoom in: Baumgartner started golfing after college and uses the game as meditation. "When I go out (to play golf), I can spend four hours and work goes away, any issues go away, family stuff goes away and it's just concentrating on getting this little tiny ball into this little tiny hole for four hours, and for me it's a release where I don't have to worry about anything else." He played in last week's Hilton Grand Vacation's Tournament of Champions in Florida — the LPGA Tour's first stop of 2025. ⚾ Afternoon activity: The avid sports fan then heads to Truist Park. "Maybe there's an early afternoon Braves game which doesn't (usually) happen. Love the new stadium there." 🍴 Evening outing: For dinner, he goes to Marcel. "And if things get weird, Hotel Clermont and Tiny Lou's. But Marcel is my go-to and I'm getting a steak. It's the best in town." Yes, but: He's not using any steak sauce. "No sauce. High-quality meat, salt and pepper, no sauce." Worthy of your time: If he could pick one celebrity to play a round of golf with, it would be former President Obama. Fun fact: "Stress Relief" (Season 5 Episode 14 and 15), "Diversity Day" (Season 1, Episode 2) and "The Injury" (Season 2, Episode 12) are his current favorite episodes of "The Office." What's next: Baumgartner will have a guest role in "Suits LA" streaming later this month on NBC and Peacock.
