Oglethorpe University

Eddie Starnes was born in Atlanta as the youngest of nine children, but spent his early years between Savannah, Hapeville, Columbus, Chattanooga, Tenn., and Jacksonville Beach, Fla.

Starnes played basketball for the Columbus High School Blue Devils, then for Piedmont College in Demorest, Ga. He transferred to Oglethorpe University to complete his Bachelor of Arts and play basketball, baseball, and tennis. The 1957-58 men's basketball team posted an 18-6 record, including a six-game win streak to end the season. After graduation he served in the US Marine Corps. until 1960. Starnes also earned graduate degrees from West Georgia College (University of West Georgia).
 
Starnes and his family moved to Cedartown in 1968 when he became an administrator for the Polk School District. He was also founding principal of Westside Elementary School.
In Cedartown Ga., he played competitively in local recreation basketball leagues for many years, and played a lot of tennis and golf at the Cherokee Country Club. Starnes was a member of the Polk County Democratic Committee and rescued stray dogs. 
 
He and his wife Dr. Jo Ann Starnes met in the early 60s as first-time teachers at Gordon High School in Decatur, Ga. They were avid travelers and had two sons and two grandchildren. Starnes passed away on July 26, 2017, in Birmingham, Alabama, aged 82.