OXFORD, Ga. — Judy Greer joined Oxford College's faculty at a time when women were a rare sight on the college's campus.

The Chattahoochee County native recalled she joined the Oxford faculty in 1957 after graduation from LaGrange College — only four years after Emory University began admitting women.

After a short-lived move to Winthrop College in South Carolina, Greer returned to Oxford in 1966 and never left — becoming the college’s first full-tenured female professor during a 33-year career at the college.

"I love a college town,” she said.

Greer’s service to the Oxford and Newton County community recently convinced the Atlanta-based Foundation of Wesley Woods to honor Greer among its first all-woman group of Heroes, Saints & Legends award winners in its 33-year history.

Diane Vaughan, president of the Wesley Woods Foundation, said Greer was not a hard choice for the committee.

“She really epitomizes what Heroes, Saints & Legends stands for,” Vaughan said.

She said Greer has made a positive influence in many areas.

“When you mention Judy’s name, people just come to life,” she said.

The Foundation will present the awards at its annual gala Sept. 15 in Atlanta. It honors individuals who have “transformed Atlanta’s community through a lifetime of achievement and commitment to leadership, service, and philanthropy,” the group said in announcing Greer’s selection.

Greer will join fellow honorees Billye Aaron, widow of baseball legend Hank Aaron, retired educator and and nonprofit executive; and Virginia Hepner, retired president and CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center, former banker and current director of Cadence Bank and other businesses and nonprofits.  

She said she was “humbled, honored and excited” about being a recipient of the honor after attending numerous past Wesley Woods galas honoring others.

“I’ve never thought this about myself,” she said.

Greer said the honor is special because of the many Wesley Woods residents she has known.

“I know what a good job Wesley Woods does,” she said.

Past honorees in the awards’ 33-year history have included everyone from legendary Atlanta journalist Celestine Sibley and philanthropist Boisfeuillet Jones, to sports legends like Hank Aaron, Vince Dooley and Frank Broyles.

Greer was a member of LaGrange College’s first women's athletic teams from 1955-57. She earned her undergraduate degree from LaGrange College, master’s degree in physical education and counseling from Auburn University, and doctorate in physical education and higher education from the University of Georgia.

She became the first woman promoted to full professor at Oxford and coached the college’s women’s tennis teams to three runner-up finishes in the National Junior College Athletic Association Regional Tennis Tournament

She was inducted into the Emory Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 and is a recipient of Oxford’s first Fleming Award for Excellence in Teaching, the R. Carl Chandler Award from the Oxford College Board of Counselors.

After her retirement, members of the Oxford College Class of 1959 established a scholarship in her name and have maintained it for more than two decades.

In recent years, she became a benefactor of Oxford College.

But she also chose to remain heavily involved in the community with service on the Newton County Recreation Board and active membership in Allen Memorial United Methodist Church in Oxford. 

The Newton County recreation legend’s community work also included participation in American Cancer Society projects, and helping bring about the establishment of the Covington Family YMCA in 2000.

She worked to teach Newton County seniors to stay active by leading exercise and other classes at the Y following her retirement.

Greer received the Metro Atlanta YMCA Volunteer of the Year Award, and was recognized by the Points of Light Foundation for her work with senior adults.

She also is a past recipient of the prestigious R.O. Arnold Award from the Newton Chamber of Commerce, which is given to someone “who has continued to give back to our community,” according to the Chamber of Commerce.

Among her other accolades are the LaGrange College Distinguished Alumna Award, the University of Georgia Graduate Alumna Award, was in the inaugural class of the LaGrange College Sports Hall of Fame, and presented an Outstanding Georgia Citizen certificate honoring “Women Sports Trailblazers” sponsored by the Georgia Commission on Women in celebration of Women’s History Month.

Vaughan said Greer was among a group of recipients who have “scored firsts for women … all while demonstrating a lifelong devotion to Atlanta with countless contributions to our community.  We are proud to call them our heroes.”

Since the event’s inception in 1990, 109 of Atlanta’s most exemplary leaders have been celebrated and more than $7.2 million have been raised for charitable care, pastoral care, and wellness programming at Wesley Woods senior living communities.  

“We welcome sponsors with an array of 2022 opportunities to show both individual and corporate support for the older adults at Wesley Woods,” Vaughan said. 

The 33rd annual Heroes, Saints & Legends is set for Sept. 15 at Flourish by Legendary Events at 3143 Maple Drive in Atlanta. For more information, visit www.wesleywoods.org/heroes.