Eugene C. “Gene” Dunwody Sr.: Dedicated Civil Leader
By: Alumni Publications | Categories: In Memoriam
He was selected to attend the Naval Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I., where he earned the rank of Ensign in the Navy’s Civil Engineering Corp. Upon further training he was assigned to the Naval Industrial Reserve Shipyard in Tampa where he was the Resident Officer in-Charge of Construction. While there, he married Susan Howe Foxworth, whom he had met at a KA rush party in 1954. In December of 1958 he was transferred to Patrick Airforce Base where the CEC oversaw the down range missile tracking stations for Cape Canaveral. It was an exciting time to be at the Cape, and he was fortunate to have been able to write his name on the rocket that boosted the first missile to hit the moon. At the end of his elective service, he moved back home to Macon and joined the firm of his father W. Elliott Dunwody, Jr. Architect.
His interest in public affairs began with his appointment to the Macon-Bibb County Planning and Zoning Commission where he served as chairman. In late 1975 he was elected president of the first integrated City Council and served for 12 years under the leadership of Mayors Buck Melton and George Israel. His service was not limited to Macon, as he became a member of the National League of Cities where he served as chairman of the Community and Economic Development Committee supporting changes in national laws and policies to be more equitable. Among many honors that he received, Dunwody was named Community Leader of the Year by Robins Air Logistics Center, received the Motie Wiggins Award for outstanding elected official by the Georgia Municipal Association, Georgia Tech’s Dean Griffin Community Service Award, Macon Arts Alliance Cultural award, and NewTown’s Kirby Godsey Leadership Award. He was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and served as a Georgia Tech Alumni Association trustee member.
Dunwody is survived by his wife, Susan, children Susan and Rob Andes, Gene and BJ Dunwody, George Dunwody, Mary Bennet and Matt Rose; grandchildren, nephew and niece, and many great nieces, great nephews, and cousins.
