Public servant also known for musical talent

He was “a man with a horn.” Anyone who knew J.O. Wyatt undoubtedly knew his passion for the saxophone. It was one of the hobbies that made him stand out among other bright and kind leaders in his community. “His saxophone case was his briefcase,” his sister, Thelma Wyatt Moore, said.

James Odis Wyatt Jr. died Jan. 12. A public memorial service took place Saturday at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

J.O. pursued many careers after his graduation from Morehouse College. His friends and family described a natural aptitude for leadership. While his professional work started with negotiating labor agreements for the International Association of Machinists, it was J.O.’s commitment to the community that earned him an appointment from Donald L. Hollowell as Deputy District Director for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He later became Deputy Regional director of the EEOC, managing eight southern states in his region. Wyatt also served as a Fulton County commissioner in the late 1970s.

“He was a very young man, but he became the regional director for the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission,” Lonnie King, a longtime friend, said. He added that J.O. was the “go-to guy” to make sure cases met their deadlines.

King said he met Wyatt while they attended Morehouse together. “We started a friendship in that period of time and it lasted a long time,” he said. King left Georgia for a while, and when he came back to Atlanta to start a new business venture he could think of no one better to be his legal counsel.

Wyatt had earned his law degree from Emory Law School. Moore, Wyatt’s sister, said her charismatic big brother described that period of his life as an “exciting time” and told her he wanted to “share his dream” with his family. He introduced her to some Emory Law professors, and that is the reason she went there.

“J.O. supported and encouraged me so much in my life,” she said. His special character, she said, stemmed from his ability to make “every person feel special in his presence.”

Before going to Morehouse, Moore said Wyatt went to Talladega College at age 16 or 17. There, he discovered his passion for music, which he explored later in life.

“He had always enjoyed musical instruments, particularly woodwinds,” she said. Moore recalled when he started a band at Talladega College and his dad found out. Wyatt’s father drove from Texas to Alabama to tell his son he was not going to be a musician.

“J.O. had to put down his horn,” she said, adding that is when he transferred to Morehouse. “It was 20 years later when J.O. picked up his horns again.”

He loved to play clarinet, as well as a soprano, alto and tenor saxophone. He used to tell Moore, “If Daddy hadn’t stopped me from playing, I’d be Quincy Jones right now.”

By the time he had picked up his horn again, he didn’t want to put it down. And he took every opportunity to play. “He had me listen to him play over the telephone,” she said, usually in the morning, right when she had to leave for work.

If she were going to a banquet or conference, he’d ask her, “Did you ask them if I could come play?”

Wyatt’s friend King said he knew him as a politician and found out he was a musician years later. Upon discovering his friend’s musical ability the first time, King said, “I was a little bit surprised, but he was a bright guy. Anything he put his mind to, in my opinion, he could do it.” King said Wyatt laid a good imprint on the city because of his ability as a lawyer, author and public administrator.

Bunnie Jackson-Ransom said she knew Wyatt 42 years, but got to know him best when he opened up his nightclub, Just Jazz. “It was the place to go to listen to jazz,” she said. “And J.O. was in his element. He was bubbling.”

She said she won’t forget what a caring friend he was when her former husband passed away. “J.O. came by my house,” she said, “with a carton of Coca-Cola and some doughnuts” to console her. “He was a friend to me,” she said. “He was a friend of Atlanta. He was a politician. He was a leader. And he was a man with a horn.”

Wyatt is survived by his daughter and son, Bonita A. Wyatt and James O. Wyatt III; his two sisters, Thelma Wyatt Moore and Rose Wyatt; his brother, Morris Wyatt; and other relatives and friends.

James Odis Wyatt Jr. died Jan. 12.