[su_spacer size=”40″] Born in Cherokee County, Alabama, on June 9, 1936, Wayne was the son of the late Norman and Ethel Logan Minshew. He lettered for the Bulldogs in 1957-58 including serving as captain of the 1958 squad. Minshew still holds the Bulldog record for lowest Earned Run Average in a season, posting a 1.02 mark in 1957 while going 5-1. For his career, he went 10-4, and his 2.50 ERA ranks fifth in Georgia history. At Georgia’s 2013 Lettermen’s Day at Foley Field, Minshew received the Outstanding Athletic Achievement Award for great success during and after his Bulldog baseball career.
[su_spacer size=”40″] A graduate of Shannon High School, he attended West Georgia College for two years and then transferred to the University of Georgia where he graduated in 1958 with a degree in journalism. Following his Bulldog career, he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals and after one year opted to begin his writing career full-time. From 1959-1965, he wrote for The Americus Times and the Jacksonville Journal before being hired by the Atlanta Journal in 1966.
[su_spacer size=”40″] With Atlanta, Minshew travelled with and covered the Atlanta Braves as the first “beat” writer. Additionally, he served as the President of the Atlanta chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America and was a correspondent for The Sporting News. In 1976, the Braves hired him to join their media relations staff, and later, he served as the director of public relations for the team. He remained with the Braves until 1987. Also, he was the media relations coordinator for the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta and was the publisher and editor of the first-ever media guide for the Paralympics. He joined the Hope-Beckham Advertising Agency until he retired in 1999. In 2011, Minshew was inducted in to the Rome-Floyd Sports Hall of Fame. He was a volunteer for the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and various organizations in his community including the Red Cross and Friends of the Library.
Survivors are his son and daughter-in-law, Michael and Bobbie Jo Minshew, of Charlotte, N.C.; his daughter and son-in-law, Melanie S. and Jack P. Wilkey, of Charlotte; his brother and sister-in-law, Buddy and Billie Minshew, of Rome; grandchildren, Luke Minshew, Ethan Goodwin, Grace Goodwin, Alex Adams, Eric Adams, and Kate Wilkey; and his niece, Susan Minshew Speed.
Minshew was a member of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Calhoun. A memorial service will be conducted Saturday, May 2, at 2 p.m. at St. Timothy’s. The Reverend Louis Tonsmeir will officiate with a eulogy by Lee Walburn. Please visithttp://www.maxbrannonandsons.com to sign the online guest register.