, The Macon Telegraph; October 17, 2017
On a spring day 50 years ago, William Brosnan, the president of Southern Railway, stood before a luncheon crowd of 300 or so at the old Dempsey Motor Hotel in downtown Macon to salute the region.
Among those in attendance were notable locals Henry Burns Jr., William A. Fickling Sr. and Peyton Anderson. The railroad was showcasing its brand-new electronic rail classification yard that to this day serves as the city’s eastern spine. The then-$12 million yard was named in honor of Brosnan.