When Mercer Law alumnus Bill Waldrop says he’s had a blessed life, he means it. Now 80 years old and marking 50 years as a lawyer, he looks back with a mix of pride, gratitude and quiet wonder.
“Some things,” he said, “you just never forget.”
One of those unforgettable moments reaches all the way back to a sixth grade classroom in Marietta — long before law school, courtrooms or career milestones were even on the horizon. Waldrop was growing up in public housing with his mother and six siblings, walking each day to Waterman Elementary School. Life was modest, but school offered a world that stretched far beyond his neighborhood.
His teacher read The Story of Doctor Dolittle aloud to the class during lunch, her voice filling the room as the students rested their heads on their desks. It was a small ritual, but one that made an impression. Then one afternoon, the routine shifted. As the classroom grew quiet, the teacher stopped beside Waldrop’s seat.
“Billy,” she said gently, “I think you will grow up to be a lawyer.”
“Well,” Waldrop said now with a smile, “her words stayed with me.”
College didn’t seem financially possible after high school, so at the young age of 17 he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. Stationed at Hurlburt Field in northwest Florida, he worked the main gate by day and took college courses at night whenever he could. Later, he was assigned to Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota — a posting that changed his life in more ways than one.
That’s where he met Diana Rae, a business college student who would become his wife of 57 years.
“I met the most beautiful lady in South Dakota,” he said with a grin.
They married about a year later, and Waldrop felt a pull toward a new direction. His teacher’s words echoed back.
“I thought, maybe it’s time to try to become that lawyer she saw in me,” he said.
He applied to Mercer Law School and soon received a letter from Dean Edgar H. Wilson informing him of his acceptance. Waldrop later learned that Dupont K. Cheney, assistant to the dean, valued applicants with strong academics and military experience.
“I’ve always believed my time in the Air Force helped open that door,” he said.
Arriving in Macon, the Waldrops were struck by Mercer’s campus, including Ryals Hall where law classes were held at the time.
“Those Victorian buildings just amazed us,” he recalled.
Law school itself held surprises, too — including the high-stakes exam structure.
“In all of the courses, you would have just one exam at the end of the semester,” he said. “You had to be ready. There was no safety net.”
Ready he was. After the first quarter, Waldrop ranked in the top five of a class of more than 70 students and earned the highest grade in his contracts class.
“Of course,” he said, “everybody else caught up pretty quickly.”
His first year also coincided with Mercer Law School’s centennial celebration in 1973. The event drew national attention.
“Our class had front row seats,” Waldrop said, still sounding awed. “Congressman Carl Vinson spoke. Gov. Jimmy Carter was there. Sen. Eugene Talmadge. Even President Richard Nixon. Dan Rather came with CBS News. It was just a grand adventure. I still get chills thinking about it.”
After graduating in 1976, Waldrop joined the Brunswick firm of Bennet, Gilbert, Gilbert, Whittle, Harrell and Gayner. He was hired by Wallace Harrell, a former Mercer Law Review editor-in-chief.
“Wallace taught me how to be a trial lawyer,” Waldrop said. “I learned by working right beside him.”
Three years later, the Waldrops moved to Cobb County, where Waldrop practiced for more than two decades with fellow Mercer alumnus James O. Wilson Jr. His career spanned state and federal courts, built on steady preparation and a deep respect for the profession.
About 25 years ago, another passion took root — literally.
A friend from across the street, invited Waldrop to take a Master Gardener course with him. Waldrop already kept a large vegetable garden at his home.
“I had tomatoes, corn, peppers, squash — even watermelons,” he said.
His friend, however, grew daylilies. He gave Waldrop a dozen plants, which Waldrop planted near the woods and largely ignored until they bloomed.
“I was astonished at how beautiful they were,” he said.
He ordered 100 more plants. The vegetable garden was soon replaced by thousands of daylily blooms. Before long, Waldrop was growing more than 10,000 daylilies and had become a hybridizer.
His interest deepened into service. Waldrop served five years as legal counsel for the American Daylily Society. He and Diana founded a daylily club in Cobb County, meeting at First United Methodist Church in Marietta.
“We just enjoy being with people who love the same thing,” he said.
His achievements in the field are remarkable. He has introduced 120 original daylilies, with dozens earning national awards. He’s won honors including the American Daylily Society President’s Cup and multiple specialty awards, and he and Diana received a regional service award in 2023.
Through their Kennesaw Mountain Daylily Gardens nursery, the Waldrops sell plants nationwide and internationally. They maintain a display garden and a large greenhouse, and Waldrop writes a blog explaining his hybridizing work. In 2001, the Waldrops’ garden was even featured on HGTV’s Gardener’s Diary. His specialty involves intricate circular rings in the blooms’ “eyes,” vivid color contrasts and hardy plants suited to North Georgia winters. He has also developed tetraploid daylilies with stronger roots and more vibrant flowers.
Then there’s the Hollywood story.
Producers of the Clint Eastwood 2018 film The Mule — primarily filmed in Georgia, with key locations in Atlanta and Augusta — needed daylilies. They came to Waldrop.
“I thought we were negotiating,” he said, chuckling. He offered to rent 10 prized clumps for $2,400, expecting a counteroffer.
“They just said, ‘That’ll be great.’ The next morning, a truck arrived to collect them,” he said.
Waldrop later wrote an article in The Georgia Daylily titled “How to Rent a Daylily.”
The featured bloom, Illinois majestic, was introduced in 2019.
Through it all, Waldrop remains deeply grateful for Mercer.
“Going to Mercer Law was more than I ever imagined,” he said. “I’m thankful someone believed in a veteran kid from public housing.”
Looking over eight decades — military service, a long legal career, a joyful marriage, a daughter and a grandchild named Lily Rae, and gardens bursting with color — he sums it up simply: “My life has been a great, great blessing.”
