DONALDSON, Randal William

Randal William Donaldson passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on February 22, 2020. He was 69.

Randy was born on June 2, 1950 in Jackson, Mississippi, the son of Ray and Alene Donaldson. He attended

Huntsville High School and graduated from Auburn University with a degree in journalism. While in college, he was the sports editor for the campus newspaper the Auburn Plainsman.

He moved to Atlanta and began working as a sports reporter for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Randy then joined the Atlanta Braves organization as publicity manager (and occasional official scorer), on the very same week the team hired Suzie Spears, who would quickly become the love of his life and his wife of 43 years.

After leaving the sports world, Randy worked in global communications and PR as the official spokesperson for the Coca-Cola Company for 34 years. He traveled to dozens of countries and eight Olympic Games from Lake Placid in 1980 to Atlanta in 1996 on behalf of the company.

After retiring from Coca Cola, his lifelong love of language and the arts led him to work as a consultant for the Woodruff Arts Center. He also started his own consultancy company, Donaldson Communications.

Randy had a beautifully wide-ranging field of interests. He loved Atlanta Braves baseball and Auburn football, musicals by Sondheim, plays by Shakespeare, and reading gritty crime novels by John Sandford on his porch in Highlands, NC. He solved several crossword puzzles a day, taught his children how to play the guitar, and had just enjoyed watching his son get married in France. He believed strongly in the importance of print journalism and arts education.

Randy leaves behind his wife, Suzie, his children, Cary (Tess) and Julie, his mother, Alene, his sister, Patsy Evans (John), and more friends than could be listed on a single page.

The family will hold a private celebration in his memory. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alliance Theatre, to the Atlanta Music Project, to Moving in the Spirit, and to Team Nelson.