Celestine Sibley (May 23, 1914 – August 15, 1999) was a famous American

newspaper reporter A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

, syndicated

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (periodical), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the ...

, and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, for nearly sixty years.

Biography

Sibley was born in

Holley, Florida Holley is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States. Its population was 2,484 as of the 2020 census, up from 1,630 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Pensacola— Ferry Pass—Brent, ...

. She graduated from high school in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

, and began her journalistic career writing for the ''

Mobile Press-Register The ''Press-Register'' (known from 1997 to 2006 as the ''Mobile Register'') was a newspaper serving the southwest Alabama counties of Mobile and Baldwin. The newspaper is a descendant of one founded in 1813, making the ''Press-Register'' Alab ...

'' and the ''

Pensacola News Journal The '' Pensacola News Journal'' is a daily morning newspaper serving Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in Florida. It is Northwest Florida's most widely read daily. The ''News Journal'' is owned by Gannett, a national media holding company t ...

''. Sibley gained fame as an award-winning reporter, editor, and beloved columnist for the ''

Atlanta Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in Atlanta metropolitan area, metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Jo ...

'' from 1941 to 1999. According to the ''New Georgia Encyclopedia'', "Sibley was one of the most popular and long-running columnists for the Constitution, and her well-written and poignant essays on Southern culture made her an icon in the South." In addition to her column, she covered Georgia politics along with many high-profile court cases. She also wrote 25 books, both nonfiction and fiction, including mystery novels. She covered the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directl ...

as a reporter from 1958 to 1978. In 2000, after her death, the press gallery in the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republican Party (United States), Repu ...

was named in her honor. She won the first Townsend Prize for Fiction in 1982 for her book ''Children, My Children''. After an illness, Sibley died, age 85, at her beach house on

Dog Island, Florida Dog Island is located in the northwestern Florida Gulf coast, just off-shore from Carrabelle, in Franklin County, Florida. There is, by reservation, ferry transportation to Dog Island on weekends. There are no stores, restaurants, or public re ...

. Sibley's granddaughter, Sibley Fleming, wrote a book about her grandmother, ''Celestine Sibley: A Granddaughter's Reminiscence'' (2000). Celestine Sibley and Sibley Fleming co-edited a collection of Sibley's writings, ''The Celestine Sibley Sampler: Writings & Photographs With Tributes to the Beloved Author and Journalist'' (1997).

Selected works

* ''The Malignant Heart'', Doubleday (New York City), 1957. * ''Peachtree Street, U.S.A.: An Affectionate Portrait of Atlanta'', Doubleday, 1963; reprinted as ''Peachtree Street, U.S.A.: A Personal Look at Atlanta and Its History'', Peachtree Publishers (Atlanta), 1994. * ''Christmas in Georgia'', Doubleday, 1964. * ''A Place Called Sweet Apple'', Doubleday, 1967. * ''Dear Store: An Affectionate Portrait of Rich's'', Doubleday, 1967. * ''Especially at Christmas'', Doubleday, 1969. * ''Mothers Are Always Special'', Doubleday, 1970. * ''The Sweet Apple Gardening Book'', Doubleday, 1972. * ''Day by Day with Celestine Sibley'', Doubleday, 1975. * ''Small Blessings'', Doubleday, 1977. * ''Jincey'', Simon & Schuster (New York City), 1979. * ''The Magical Realm of Sallie Middleton'', Oxmoor House (Birmingham, AL), 1980. * ''Children, My Children'', Harper (New York City), 1981. * ''Young 'Uns: A Celebration'', Harper, 1982. * ''For All Seasons'', Peachtree Publishers, 1984. * ''Turned Funny: A Memoi''r, Harper, 1988. * ''Christmas in Georgia'', Peachtree Publishers, 1985. * ''Tokens of Myself'', Longstreet Press, 1990.

"Kate Mulcay" mystery novels

* ''Ah, Sweet Mystery'', HarperCollins (New York City), 1991. * ''Straight as an Arrow'', HarperCollins, 1992. * ''Dire Happenings at Scratch Ankle'', HarperCollins, 1993. * ''A Plague of Kinfolks'', HarperCollins, 1995. * ''Spider in the Sink'', HarperCollins, 1997.

Awards

* Three awards from

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

for news stories * Two awards from Georgia Conference on Social Work for stories contributing to human welfare * Radio and television awards from Pall Mall * Awards from Dixie Council of Authors and Journalists, for ''Small Blessings'' * Green Eyeshadow Award from

Sigma Delta Chi The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, letter ...

* Posthumously inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2007. * Inducted into the

Georgia Women of Achievement The Georgia Women of Achievement (GWA) recognizes women natives or residents of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia for their significant achievements or statewide contributions. The concept was first proposed by Rosalynn Carter in 19 ...

in 2010. * Inducted into the

Georgia Newspaper Hall of Fame The Georgia Newspaper Hall of Fame recognizes newspaper editors and publishers of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia for their significant achievements or contributions. A permanent exhibit of the honorees is maintained at the Henry W. ...

in 2019.

References

External links

Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library
Emory University
Celestine Sibley papers, 1900-1997

Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionCelebrating Celestine Sibley at the century mark
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sibley, Celestine 20th-century American novelists American columnists American women novelists American mystery writers American children's writers 20th-century American memoirists American newspaper reporters and correspondents The Atlanta Journal-Constitution people 1914 births 1999 deaths American women memoirists American women columnists American women children's writers American women mystery writers 20th-century American women writers Novelists from Florida People from Santa Rosa County, Florida People from Franklin County, Florida Memoirists from Florida