Alan G. Paulk, Sr. passed in the early morning hours of Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2020, following several years of Alzheimer’s disease. He was born on March 19, 1938, in Wray, Georgia to John Cecil and Marjorie Gay Paulk. He is survived by his brother Ron Paulk, his sister Cecile Paulk, and his two sons, Kirk Paulk and Alan Paulk, Jr. He is also survived by three grandchildren, six nieces, and two nephews. He was preceded in death by the mother of his children and former wife, Mary Ann Paulk, who died in 1999.
It was clear even in his childhood that Alan was driven to achieve financial success. He bought a Harley-Davidson motorcycle with his own money before he was 16. He shunned pretense in favor of tangible results. Prefiguring more famous examples like Bill Gates and Richard Branson, Alan dropped out of the University of Georgia without completing his degree. He later enjoyed quipping that the only thing he passed during college was Macon.
Not interested in refinement or high culture, he instead read about the lives of those businessmen he admired. His bookshelves were lined with the biographies of men like Henry Ford, Sam Walton, Warren Buffett, and, of course, Donald Trump. He named one of his real estate development companies “Summa” after the company of the same name founded by legendary businessman Howard Hughes.
His varied and ambitious business enterprises included farming, local mobile home manufacturer Flintstone Enterprises, the Lil’ Pantry chain of convenience stores, and several real estate developments, including Baymeadows Estates near Douglas, Georgia.
He is probably best remembered for building Holiday Beach, a 1500 acre amusement park located at the site of present-day Baymeadows Estates. The park featured a 400 acre lake, campground, roller-coaster, sky-ride, waterslide, and auditorium named the Opry-House. The park opened in 1975 and it hosted many of that era’s most famous musicians such as Loretta Lynn, George Jones, and Willie Nelson. It is hard to overstate the impact that Holiday Beach had on the small rural community surrounding it.
Holiday Beach closed in 1984, but Alan made the land and the 400 acre lake into the exclusive residential development Baymeadows Estates.
Alan’s legacy lives on because of the many fond memories of Holiday Beach within the community, and the continuing success of Baymeadows Estates. Today there are more than 500 houses in Baymeadows. Although it is not a city, it has more residents than several nearby cities.
His legacy also lives on in the hearts of other local businessmen, many of whom fondly remember him and credit him with opportunities and encouragement he afforded to them in their early careers.
The visitation and funeral service will be held at Mt. Union Baptist Church 1302 State Route 149 Ambrose, GA 31512 on Saturday December 5, 2020. Visitation will begin at 10 am followed by the funeral at 11 am with Brother Walt Craig DeLoach II presiding.
Mr. Paulk’s parents were founding members of Mt. Union Baptist Church. If an alternative to flowers is desired, any donation to: Mt. Union Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, C/O Deacon Donnie Smith, 669 Smith Metts Rd, Willacoochee, GA 31650.