John Marion Pope, third child of Charles Tip Pope and Eunice Folsom, was born at Pope's Mill on January 14, 1920. John's early years were spent around the mill complex, designed and constructed by his grandfather, Rev. Charles Green Pope. Both John's mother and grandfather died in 1923. John's father married Eura Mae Wilson in 1924 and she was the mother John knew most of his life. John attended Eanon School for two years. In 1927, the Pope Mill was sold to the Snellgroves, and Tip moved his family to Sumpter County, Georgia where John graduated from Americus High School. John was married to Marjorie Patten until her death in 1972. In the summer of 1973 he married Betty Deriso of Miami, Florida.

During World War II John served his country by doing civil defense work. He was instrumental in building the Oak Ridge Nuclear Facility in Tennessee, and worked with the Army Corps of Engineers doing various concrete construction projects. Following the war he returned to Americus and purchased his father's vault business which later became John M. Pope Company and expanded into residential and commercial concrete construction.

John served on the Board of Directors of American Family Life Assurance Company (AFLAC) of Columbus, Ga. for 35 years. In the early 1970's he was superintendent of construction for the AFLAC Tower International headquarters in Columbus. He was a charter member of the Sumter County Bank and had long service on the Board of Directors.

John was active in First United Methodist Church, where he served on the board of stewards, board of trustees, and administrative board. He was a generous supporter of the church's Magnolia Manor Retirement center where he built and gifted a ministers' retirement residence and a duplex villa.

President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter were among his closest friends. John was proud to be actively involved in all of President Carter's political campaigns. During Jimmy Carters' tenure as Georgia governor, John served on the Georgia Department of Industry and Trade and the World Congress Center. John and Betty were pioneers with the 'Peanut Brigade' during the presidential campaign, and after the election John served on the American Battle Monuments Commission. John was involved with the Plains Historic Trust and the renovation of Plains High School. In the early 1980's John built and sold several mountain homes in North Georgia where his most cherished development was a log cabin shared with the Carters. President Carter hand-built most of the furnishings for the cabin.

Habitat for Humanity was a recipient of his contributions, service, and expertise. John and Betty were present for the first Jimmy Carter Work Project in New York City and traveled for many years with the Carters to participate in various Habitat work projects.

John was renown in Americus as a philanthropist and civic leader. He was a charter member of the Americus Civitan Club and was active for 50 years. He was a member of several Masonic Orders and served as a local Boy Scout leader.

Education was one of his interests. In 1998 he and Betty were awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award for the State of Georgia by Gov. Zell Miller. John received the distinguished Honorary Doctor of Humanities Degree on May 12, 1999 from Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) - the only other person to ever receive this award was President Carter; and these are the only two Honorary Doctorates ever given by the University. John was instrumental in the creation of the Rosalynn Carter Institute at GSW. He established an endowed fund for Pope Fellows, which provides fellowship grants for students interested in the field of care giving. He was also responsible for the development of an endowed chair in the School of Business at GSW, which provides funds for business scholarships. On the day John died, November 8, 1999, construction was started on the John M. Pope Industrial Technology Building at South Georgia Technical Institute.

John Marion Pope was a native son of which Coffee County can be proud. Even with all his activities and involvement John maintained his ties to his roots and his many relatives located here. He also attended and supported the annual Eanon Community Reunion.