Charles Postell

Born the son of a second generation tobacco farmer in Southwest Georgia's rural Sparks, Postell as a child was compelled to read and write, spending time penning journals and hours at the city library. Wanting desperately to escape the agricultural roots into which he felt out-of-place, Postell was determined to become a writer, attending the University of Georgia's prestigious School of Journalism.

His career began with small dailies, The Moultrie Observer and The Valdosta Times, where he was a sports writer.

Landing a coveted position as a staff writer at The Miami Herald, Postell gained an avid readership writing for his own column, "OFF BEAT." His unique style and voice began to fully develop during this time, although he left the mammoth Florida media giant after a political dispute with his editor.

Returning to the Southwest farm he'd so eagerly left, Postell took a position at The Albany Herald, a relatively large daily for that area of Georgia with a publisher and editor who were eager to showcase Postell's skills.

His investigative journalism, feature work and photography splashed almost daily across the paper's front pages, quickly earning him national renown and awards from UPI and AP - an eventually landing a rare nomination - and election - onto the board of directors of the lauded Investigative Reporters & Editors organization.

His exposes of errant lawmen had ravaged the Southwest region that was his beat, often garnerning death threats upon him and his family. Undaunted, the fearless quality of Postell's reporting made him a favorite - loved and reviled, feared and respected.

The 1973 Alday murders became a defining moment in Postell's career, leading to trial coverage of the 4 Baltimore killers - and later 10 years of Death Row visits with Carl Isaacs, considered the ringleader of the heinous slaughter. The result of this experience was DEAD MAN COMING, and a later sequel, ESCAPE OF MY DEAD MEN.

The controversy surrounding an escape from Georgia State Prison's maximum security prison, masterminded by Isaacs, was to haunt Postell for the remainder of his life.

The final years of his life were spent living in seclusion with his daughter in South Georgia, writing, but refusing to publish. His death in 2008 was after many long years of adventurous and dynamic experiences creating a body of work rivaling any journalist's before or since, and gaining infacy and renown as the first investigative journalist to ever tap the virgin territory of SW Georgia - revealing its seedy side and shadowy underbelly.