water. But, over the next five days all but 316
of those men perished from their wounds,
exposure and exhaustion, dehydration, or most
horrifically by repeated shark attacks.
Twelve men from Georgia served on the
Indianapolis’s final voyage, but only five
survived. One was Marvin Foulk Kirkland from
Marietta. The USS Indianapolis’ official website,
Navy records, survivor reunion sites online and
books on the sinking of the Indianapolis allow a
tiny window into his actions that day.
In September 1945, the ship’s captain,
Charles B. McVay III (who would later be
court-martialed and then exonerated),
recommended the Navy award medals to
several members of the crew, including
a Bronze Star to Seaman 1st Class Marvin
Kirkland. McVay’s request asks for
recognition of Kirkland’s “heroic service
in connection with operations against the
enemy while attached to a United States
heavy cruiser which was sunk. Although
suffering from exhaustion, exposure and a
fractured jaw, he, in the company of another
man, supported a survivor who was ill from
internal bleeding and exposure for two days,
thereby saving his life. His unselfishness and
heroic conduct throughout were outstanding
and in keeping with the highest traditions of
the Naval Service.”
Cobb County’s Angie Davis
confirmed clerk of new
state business court
BY DAVE WILLIAMS
Georgia’s new statewide business court will be
fully staffed when it opens its doors.
The state House and Senate Judiciary
committees in July unanimously confirmed
Gov. Brian Kemp’s nomination of Cobb County
State Court Clerk Angie Davis as clerk of the
new court.
“The thought of helping write the playbook
in this new court is exciting,” Davis said shortly
before the vote. “I’m up for the task. I have the
experience and skill set to take on the role.”
The General Assembly passed a
constitutional amendment in 2018 after an
advisory council headed by Attorney General
Chris Carr recommended a statewide business
court as a way to expedite the handling of
cases requiring expertise in business law.
Georgia voters ratified the amendment that
November.
About a year ago, Kemp nominated Walter
Davis, a partner in the Atlanta office of Jones
Day, to become the business court’s sole
judge.
Both Walter Davis and former state Attorney
General Sam Olens, who worked with Angie
Davis back when he was chairman of the
Cobb County Commission, gave her strong
endorsements during the confirmation hearing.
“(She) excels at everything she does,” Olens
said. “She is a mentor to her office and a
leader in her office.”
USS Indianapolis
Angie Davis
FEBRUARY 2020 | COBB LIFE 45