It is sad that after the headlines fade with time, the remarkable achievement of some people get forgotten and the real reason for their community notoriety gets lost in the shuffle.
Sadly, some people, like Augusta’s godmother of aviation, Marcie Wilelmi, get confused with being a social maven and not the trailblazer of yore.
If someone attended such a party thrown by Wilhelmi and only knew her by hearing of her surname, one might make the incorrect first assumption that she is the epitome of the stereotypical graceful Southern Belle philanthropist-wife of a renowned surgeon who has a particular affectation for orchids and hydrangeas.
Cue the flashbulbs, here is the reality:
Marcie Wilhelmi does have the pedigree of serving for decades on civic boards, such as The Burn Foundation of America, Sacred Heart Community Center and Catholic Social Services. But, the huge circle of friends that mingle with this social butterfly knows that she is as perfectly comfortable at a swanky gala event as she is wiping sweat from her brow worming a hook during during a family fishing trip.
Wilhelmi certainly enjoys life’s finer offerings, but is also the kind of gal that would take particular glee in serving Southern sausage dogs topped with Vidalia onions and spicy mustard to the Queen of England at lunch.
Married for 43 years, Wilhelmi is proud of her attorney-husband Mark and their decades-long commitment to each other. But in reality, she is the last thing from the glittering society trophy-wife, adept only at posing with dignitaries whilst presenting a donation check. She has carved out her own professional path as an executive in the medical field, blazed a trail as a community advocate and leader At the age of 78, hasn’t retired and still runs the family’s real estate management company.
A licensed pilot, Wilhelmi is also the feisty negotiator that took her passion for flying to Washington, D.C. and helped lead the team that transformed Augusta’s rather rinky-dink local airports into the state-of-the-art facilities that it is today.
Wilhelmi is not even from the deep South; instead, she brought her Midwest, corn-fed moxie to the Garden City four decades ago. She ended up creating the mold for a new, modern version of the classic Southern Belle.
Forget about Scarlett, think of a June Cleaver who knows ‘jive,’ combined with Amelia Earhart, a little bit of Rosie the Riveter added in and even the Terminator’s foe, Sarah Connor, when needed for good measure; all of that packaged with a wink, an infectious laugh and a warm hug are the trademarks of Marcie Wilhelmi.
“I grew up in Round Lake, Ill., I think the population is like 2,500 people or so, it’s a tiny farming town. It was the perfect place for me to grow up because, as kids, we were free to just explore the great outdoors,” Wilhelmi said. “And, of course, there was the sense of security living in a community where everyone looked after one another, neighbors were like family.”
According to Wilhelmi, she grew up in the great expanse with no lingering doubts of her own abilities and self-esteem, blissfully ignorant and, therefore, unafraid of fences or glass ceilings.
A young Wilhelmi would routinely see single-engine crop dusters flying over the wheat, soybean and corn fields and set her sights to the skies; however, her perfectionist nature caused her to not just want to be a pilot, but to become an ace.
Wilhelmi went through “aerobatics” training, which taught her the skills of how to barnstorm with the best of them. But she said there was a real practical reason for her to master the extra aeronautics training.
“Well, you learn those maneuvers in a controlled manner, so that if you experience a similar situation in a real emergency, something like a sudden loss of altitude from turbulence or a roll, it doesn’t have to be catastrophic. You know how to handle it already. And I consider every landing you walk away from to be a successful landing,” Wilhelmi said with a laugh.
Prior to Augusta’s 1996 consolidation, then-Mayor Charles Devaney rewarded Wilhelmi’s significant achievements in aviation by placing her on the Daniel Field Airport Authority. Later, then-Commissioner Jerry Brigham placed her on the Augusta Aviation Commission.
Augusta was at a crossroads in those days, with the Masters Tournament really beginning to come into its own as an international sporting event. Yet Augusta received no federal funding and the city had long fought with the feds over control of the airport.
Chairman Cedric Johnson and former Airport commissioner Jimmy Drew. Photo courtesy of Marcie Wilhelmi.
“Everything was really territorial and kind of ridiculous. It was kinda like saying we want to control the interstate highway where we live, so we’ll just pay for it ourselves and we’ll help pay for other state’s highways too. It wasn’t working out to anyone’s advantage,” Wilhelmi said.
The result was an outdated and underfunded flight control system and infrastructure, making it almost impossible to economically fly in and out of Augusta. Wilhelmi, along with then-Chairman Cedrick Johnson set out to thoroughly modernize air travel in the city. Johnson is now chair of the Augusta Coliseum Authority and is currently tasked with building the new James Brown Arena after completing a stunning renovation of the historic Bell Auditorium.
When the pair first went to Washington D.C. to lobby for funding, the timing could not have been worse, the terror attacks of Sept. 11 had just occurred.
According to Richmond County School Board Trustee and then-fellow Aviation Commissioner Venus Cain, it was Wilhelmi’s leadership that restored the federal funding. She was able to help reclaim $38 million in infrastructure costs paid by Augusta and gave the airport full control over the fuel depot, which helps keep the facility’s operations financially solvent.
“(Marcie) is like a sister from another mother to me. She is unassuming, but you always know where she stands and her word is her bond. She really taught me how to be a humble public servant,” Cain says.
Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson also doesn’t mince words about Wilhelmi’s legacy in local aviation and civic service, calling her a true role model.
“Marcie really set the benchmark for me as someone who has always leaned on her solid business sense to craft public policy. She is a consensus builder and a fighter when needed,” Johnson said.
Wilhelmi was tested with a very serious personal health situation that threatened to derail her entire life and that of her family when, in 2012, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. However, she handled the life and death matter as if it were a mere minor problem in the cockpit that could be overcome with a mixture rich with firm mental will and faith in God.
“I was told that the cancer was bilateral, that is, it was in both breasts. But it was like a religious experience for me; instead of panicking, it was like someone put this translucent, iridescent scarf over my head, and I had this thought ‘do not be afraid, all will be well.’ I went home and wrote a few notes to my family letting them know I intended to have the double mastectomy and fight the invasion,” Wilhelmi said. “I put my effort in, and fought it with all of my strength.”
Cancer ended up giving up.
Looking to the future, Wilhelmi doesn’t rule anything out, except maybe training to become an astronaut. Her name is being bandied about as one of the perfect people to sit on the planned Consolidation Charter Review Committee pushed for by Mayor Johnson. While she doesn’t particularly plan to run for elective office any time soon, she indicates that she is ready to jump in and help if the community calls upon her.
“I love Augusta, it really reminds me of Round Lake. We are very close knit as a community here. Even though we continue to grow, we all remain like a big, extended family,” Wilhelmi said.
Wilhelmi may not have her sights set on Capitol Hill or planning to book a ticket to Mars anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t still reach for the skies, her lifelong playground.
“I have a friend that skydived when she was 99, I really would like to do that; but flying an F-18 fighter jet, now that is on my bucket list of things I really want to do before I die. I guess you could say I feel like I have a lot of runway left!” Wilhelmi said.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
