The Tri-County Journal
& Chattahoochee Chronicle
PO Box 850, 71 Webb Lane
Buena Vista, GA 31803
229-649-6397
tjournal@alltel.net
after graduating as valedictorian
By RICHARD HARRIS (From the June 6, 2006 issue)
Charles Burgamy of Cusseta recently graduated as the valedictorian of Spencer High School’s Class of 2006 and the young scholar doesn’t plan on stopping learning any time soon.
Burgamy, who graduated with honors and a grade point average of 4.015, plans to start classes at the University of Georgia in Athens on August 16 and major in pre-law.
He said he’s been thinking about the possibility of becoming a lawyer since he was in the ninth grade.
“I like studying the law and arguing my point,” he said, before adding with a chuckle, “I tend to do that.”
The fact that lawyers make a nice amount of money is also attractive to him.
He hasn’t yet decided what particular type of lawyer he wants to be, noting that one of the interesting things about the career field is that there are so many possibilities. However, he says he’d like to one day maybe set up his own law practice near his hometown of Cusseta.
“Of course, I’d probably start at another law firm, but then I can see myself maybe starting my own firm in the Columbus area,” said Burgamy. “I’d like to be close enough to serve the people of Cusseta, too.”
While at Spencer High, he was in the Justice in Military Professional Academy (a program within the school) and was the program’s top student. The program deals with law and law enforcement issues. While he was already thinking about the law profession before starting in the program, he said that experience probably “helped set it in stone.”
He says his parents always taught him to strive to be the best and helped him to realize that good grades and education are important.
“They always tell me that if you’re going to do something, you should do it well,” he added.
In addition to his parents, he says there are many others who have helped him along the way, including “all of the teachers at Chattahoochee County,” where he attended school from kindergarten through the eighth grade.
“A lot of my teachers from Chattahoochee County attended the
He added that the rest of his family members and friends helped him “stay on track” during his high school years.
In addition to being the class valedictorian, Burgamy was a member of the National Honor Society and the BETA Club, and is a recipient of the HOPE Scholarship. However, he enjoys a lot more than school. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, riding ATVs, and playing paintball and golf.
He is the son of Gene and Pam Burgamy and the grandson of Bernice Burgamy. He has three sisters: Lora McAdams, Cassie Conrad, Jessica Conrad; a brother, R.J. Conrad; and a brother-in-law, Matt McAdams.