‘Big Daddy’ was friend to all he met

From time to time it becomes necessary to report on the death of people prominent in a small community like Oconee County. George Hillsman was prominent almost before Oconee County was a community. Unfortunately, I did not have the pleasure of getting to know him before he died recently. So here is the story that appeared in The Oconee Enterprise about a week after his death.

George Hillsman was affectionately known as “Big Daddy.”

The nickname aptly described him. He lived a large life, and he took practically everyone he met under his protective wing.

Hillsman, 83, died Wednesday, March 13. He had collapsed the day before at Hot Thomas Restaurant, one of his favorite hangouts.

David Williams said he thought that Hillsman earned the nickname in the late ‘60s when he was supervising a crew of laborers, Williams included, who were working on soil tests in Georgia and nearby states. Williams was with the Southern Piedmont Experiment Station at the time.

“He was a big man,” said Williams, “probably 375 to 400 pounds. And he was always looking out for us young guys. I believe it was Wendell Hardigree who said, ‘George is trying to look after us like a big daddy.’ And the name stuck.

“He took me under his wing,” confirmed Fred Hale, who worked for Hillsman.

“One of his main deals was where would we eat,” Williams said. “Over in Saluda, S.C., he found a boarding house that served country dinners. And not by the plate. You sat down at a table, and they brought you all you could eat.”

Williams said he talked to Robert Sheats at the funeral last Saturday. Sheats had been one of those who worked for Hillsman.

“Robert told me that George was like a father figure to him,” Williams said. “Big Daddy was an appropriate nickname. He was an encourager. He was one of those people that made you feel better anytime you were around him, and he was generous to a fault.”

Hillsman was born and raised in Oconee County and lived most of his life here. He was in the military, and Sidney Bell recalled that Hillsman once worked in Irwinton, Ga., where he lived next door to Bell’s aunt.

Bell was another one who went to work under Hillsman at Southern Piedmont.

“He had a way of taking care of you,” said Bell. “He was Big Daddy to a lot of people.”

Bell was close in age to one of the Hillsman sons, Charles.

“I always loved going over there,” he said. “I’d go help him haul straw. We built barns and picked up dead chickens. Charles and I had children about the same age, and George was like an uncle to my children.”

Steve Maxey said that Hillsman was like a brother to him. They were born 11 days and a mile and a half apart.

“We used to ride tricycles down the road to see each other,” said Maxey. “We stayed at one or the other’s house all the time. We were down at the creek, building dams across the branch or fishing or playing in the woods.”

Maxey became a commercial roofer and worked out of Atlanta for many years. But the two stayed in touch. Maxey would buy beef from Hillsman when he killed a cow. When Maxey retired and returned to the area, their friendship resumed.

Hillsman had a reputation as a good cook, particularly when it came to chicken mull or turtle mull. Hale remembered the times they caught a turtle, fed it and then made turtle mull. “He made sure everybody got something to eat,” Hale said.

Hillsman farmed too, growing chickens and raising cattle.

“The Hillsmans were always willing to try something new,” said Russ Page.  “They put part of their farm in farmland protection 10 or 12 years ago. When the University of Georgia came out with a new kind of alfalfa that could be grazed on, they tried it out.”

Williams recalled a misunderstanding based on Hillsman’s willingness to try new things. Hillsman had purchased a Simmental bull and was going to cross-breed it. One of his friends told someone that Hillsman had bought a “cinnamon tree bull.”

“George was always trying to help someone,” said Williams. “He’d help them with their cows or their hay. He was the tax man too. There is no telling how many income tax returns he did for people. He told me the other

day that he was even doing some this year. It was just something he did for people.”

Charles Osborn said that Hillsman paid for Osborn to go to soil conservation camp when Osborn was 12 years old.

 “He was a friend to everybody,” Williams said. “He wanted to know everybody. And if he saw you in Publix and didn’t know you, he would try to find out who you were.”

Like as not, he would find some connection and even kinship to any new person he met.

Williams said that he suspected that Hillsman had sleep apnea before anyone knew what to call it.

“He would fall asleep at the drop of a hat,” Williams said. “He could go to sleep standing up.”

Bell said that he had not spoken to Hillsman since August when he came to the Antioch Church barbecue. “My job changed the last three years, and I have not spent as much time with him and that is very regrettable.”