AUGUSTA,
Ga. - Tommy was born in Wadley, GA on May 16, 1930 to Oscar and
Eudie Fulghum. He lived in Wadley and his beloved Coleman Lake,
GA for 62 years, before moving to Augusta in 1992. He attended
Georgia Military College and earned the rank of Cadet Major. He
continued to be an avid supporter of GMC. In 1950, at the age of
20, he married Margaret Jeanette Garrick. That relationship was
soon challenged when only a few months after the marriage Tommy
was injured in a logging accident when a tree fell on him
injuring his spinal column. He spent the remainder of his life
as a paraplegic, but was able to walk with crutches for some 45
years then succumbing to a wheel chair the remainder of his
life. For the average person this would have been a life ending
event, but Tommy's strength, determination and stamina propelled
him to become a successful businessman. He traveled through the
world and adapted his vehicles so he could drive wherever he
wanted. From climbing the Eiffel Tower to walking the Great Wall
of China on two occasions, Tommy never wavered in his
determination.
In 1956, along with his father and brother, they invented
the now famous Fulghum Rosserhead debarker. It was this feat
that catapulted the Fulghum name in the forest products
industry. In October, 1956 the family organized Fulghum
Industries in Wadley to manufacture log handling equipment for
the industry. Fulghum Enterprise was another arm of the family
business, with Tommy overseeing the sales and manufacture of
fork lift trucks, some of which are still being used today.
Tragically in 1970 Tommy's father unexpectedly passed away and
he was thrust into the position of handling the Fulghum
companies. Now Tommy's passion in his life, the growth and
development of the Fulghum companies, began. He oversaw the
successful merger of Fulghum Enterprises into Fulghum
Industries, and was always at the helm with a drive to make the
Fulghum name known throughout the world in the forest products
field. During his endeavor to expand Fulghum Industries, he
achieved seven patents on equipment that are used in the forest
products industry.
Even though he was managing a growing business, he also
felt the need to position himself in the civic matters of the
small rural Georgia town. He was elected to the Wadley City
Council in 1968 and then ran a successful campaign becoming
elected Mayor of Wadley in 1969. He was also a member of the
Wadley Lions Club and a past President of the Club. At the age
of 29, Tommy became a deacon in the Wadley Baptist Church. A
pioneer and visionary in the forest products industry, Tommy
ventured out and began another company, now Fulghum Fibres, Inc.
in 1990 to accommodate the needs of the pulp and paper industry.
That company has now grown to some 29 locations in the United
States, Chile and Uruguay with some 250 employees.
In 1999, Tommy was attending a class reunion in Wadley
and struck up a conversation with his school sweetheart, Joan
Fortner. They were married in February 2000. Tommy contracted
shingles in 2001 and continued to suffer with the subsequent
pain the remainder of his life, but with the love and caring of
Joan and his vision for his businesses, he was able to maintain
his drive and focus. He also continued his charitable work. He
followed Joan and became a loyal member of the Louisville United
Methodist Church. Tommy and Joan loved entertaining, whether
customers from Japan, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, Canada,
office Christmas parties, or just small dinners with their
closest friends.
Tommy was a member of the Augusta Country Club, the
Pinnacle Club, and was an avid, supporter of the Fulgham/Fulghum
Family Association. His businesses were his hobby, but he loved
fishing whether it was in the Ogeechee River or on a sunny
Thursday afternoon with his closest friend Fred Sims in his
pond. He took every opportunity to host a fish fry, even if you
had to buy the fish.
For those business leaders that dealt with Tommy knew him
as a man of his word, a man of honor. They knew of the quality
of the product he manufactured, and the integrity of providing
the customer with more than they expected. For those employees
who worked for him and alongside him, they knew Tommy as a
gentle and kind man, a caring man for everyone in his
organizations and their families, a generous man, but someone
who expected to receive as much as he had given.
Tommy is survived by his loving wife Joan; nephews:
Heyward T. Fulghum, George H. Fulghum, Jr.; nieces: Emily
Fulghum, Susan Mason, Lisa Jensen; sister-in law: Betty Fulghum;
great nephews, great-great nieces and nephews, his aide Jesse
Gamble, faithful housekeeper Sharon Sturgis, and a multitude of
cousins and grateful, loyal employees. His life was full even
though he was faced with most difficult challenges he never let
them interfere with his vision. He was an inspiration for those
who knew him, loved him and worked with him.
Pallbearers will be H. Heyward Wells, Jr., Anthony M
Hauff, Kurt Malzer, Terrell Marsh, John Bradley, John Lewis,
Robert Evans and Ron McDaniel. Honorary pallbearers will be Levi
Hill, Hogarth Sandeford, Officers, Directors and employees of
Fulghum Industries, Inc. and Fulghum Fibres, Inc.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to
the Louisville United Methodist Church, PO Box 269, Louisville,
GA 30434, and the Salvation Army: 1384 Greene St. Augusta, Ga
30901
Visitation will be Thursday, April 16, 2009 from 6-8 pm
at Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, Davis Road, Augusta,
GA. Services will be held Friday at 2:00 pm at the Louisville
United Methodist Church, Louisville, GA with Rev. David Hibberts
officiating. Interment will follow in the Louisville City
Cemetery. Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, 214 Davis Rd.,
Augusta, GA 30907 (706) 364-8484. A guestbook may be signed on
our site www.thomaspoteet.com
Appeared in The Augusta Chronicle April 17, 2009
