George Birdsong '75 and Lorene Richardson to be honored during Founders' Day events

The Greenhill Alumni Association invites all alumni to attend a reception honoring Lorene Richardson and Dr. George Birdsong '75 on Friday, September 9, 2011 immediately following the Founders' Day Assembly. The reception will take place in the Tom Perryman Alumni Center adjacent to the Phillips Gymnasium. Dr. George Birdsong, the first African American student to attend Greenhill School, will return to the campus to be honored as a part of the School’s Founders’ Day activities on September 9, 2011. The School is naming a Heart of the Hill group after Birdsong, in honor of his role in the School’s history. The Heart of the Hill program brings groups of students from each division—Lower, Middle and Upper—together to help instill a sense of community across the campus. Birdsong started attending Greenhill in the fall of 1967. Because of Greenhill’s mission to educate a diverse community of learners, Birdsong’s integration into the campus was relatively seamless. Birdsong does remember being called a “nigger” by a classmate during his first year, but his teacher immediately addressed the situation. She had all the students close their books and they had a discussion about why the word was wrong. “[My teacher’s] reaction made me realize that I belonged there and the school wanted me there,” reflected Birdsong. Birdsong, an active member of the Greenhill community, led the School’s basketball team to its first Southwestern Preparatory Conference championship in 1975. He graduated later that same year. Looking back on his experience, Birdsong stated, “Attending Greenhill has changed my life in a significant way, much more than being the first African American… Greenhill has opened up so many more possibilities than would have happened to me [otherwise], and that’s because of the people who were there with me – not just the teachers, but also the other students.” Birdsong is currently a pathologist at Grady Hospital in Atlanta and serves on the faculty of the Emory University School of Medicine. His sister, Becky Birdsong '86, lives outside of Los Angeles. He looks forward to returning to his alma mater to participate in Founders’ Day activities.