About our preemminent speakers...

Ed Malowney is the president of the Alpharetta and Old Milton County Historical Society. After a 44-year career in all aspects of Human Resources working for Mars, Inc., Keebler Company, Levi Strauss & Co., and The Home Depot, Ed retired in 2011 to spend more time with his family, travel, and pursue historical research. Ed loves to travel. Travels include 48 of the 50 United States, Canada, many Caribbean Islands, Central and South America, the Galapagos, and many countries in Europe as well as Australia and New Zealand. He and Mary Jo have recently traveled to Paris, including a river cruise, and visiting France’s wine-country. Ed majored in history at Ohio State and since moving to Johns Creek 32 years ago, he has devoted much time researching and documenting the area’s history. He can often be found exploring and researching sites around Georgia. He is a founding member of the Johns Creek Historical Society, a member of the Gwinnett, Forsyth, and Milton Historical Societies.

Connie Mashburn, Alpharetta’s city Official Historian, the Alpharetta and Old Milton County Historical Society charter member, archivist, and president, and Milton Historical Society’s Resident Historian and Founding Member. Connie authored a book on local history for the Alpharetta sesquicentennial in 2006 and was appointed to the Alpharetta Historic Preservation Commission in 2015. Connie led the effort to record local residents and over 80 interviews have been captured. Connie was asked to curate the City of Alpharetta’s new history museum. In March 2018 the grand opening was held at city hall, where Mayor Pro-Tem Donald Mitchell dedicated the museum to Connie. Long interested in his Scottish heritage, Connie became a member of the St. Andrews Society and a Fellow of Antiquaries of Scotland. Connie was a member of the local Piedmont Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution (SAR).

Barbara Latham is retired after a 25-year career in Public Health Nutrition, serving at the National Institutes of Health and CDC in the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Barbara grew up in New Castle, Delaware, but has been living in the south for most of her adult life. Her love of history has grown since discovering that among her direct ancestors were six Mayflower Pilgrims and one of the Nine Men governing the New Netherlands Colony (today's Manhattan). Her husband of 32 years is a Latham, whose family arrived in Cherokee County in the 1840s and became contributing members of their communities throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. She and her husband have one daughter