About Ann Abrams
Hi, I'm Ann Uhry Abrams, author of Formula for Fortune: How Asa Candler Discovered Coca-Cola and Turned It into the Wealth His Children Enjoyed
I was born in Atlanta, Georgia and I live here still. My mother and grandmother were also Atlanta natives, so the family is well-entrenched in local history and gossip. Because I have lived through many decades of my city's history, I decided to write my last two books about my rapidly changing city. In addition to Formula for Fortune, I wrote Explosion at Orly, which tells the story of a plane crash in 1962 that killed 130 people, most of them prominent Atlantans.
I grew up in Druid Hills with my brother Alfred Uhry, author of Driving Miss Daisy, Parade, and Last Night of Ballyhoo, all set in Atlanta. After I graduated from Druid Hills High School, I attended Sarah Lawrence College for two years before getting married and starting a family. When my youngest child began kindergarten, I went back to school myself and eventually received a BA and MA in history from Georgia State University and a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary studies from Emory University. In that program, I divided my classes between history and art history. When I received my degree in 1975, I taught Art History at Spelman College for five years.
In 1980, I was awarded a Smithsonian research fellowship at The National Collection of Fine Arts, now The Smithsonian American Art Museum. I spent a year in Washington researching my first book, The Valiant Hero: Benjamin West and Grand-Style History Painting, published by the Smithsonian Press in 1985. Back in Atlanta I began teaching American Art part time at Georgia State University, Agnes Scott College, and Emory University. During that time I published numerous articles in art history journals and curated several exhibitions.
Since retiring, I've devoted my time to research and writing. In 1999 I published The Pilgrims and Pocahontas: Rival Myths of American Origins. Currently I am lecturing on Atlanta history and enjoying my family. I have a daughter, two sons, and six grandchildren. My sons and five of the grandchildren live in the greater Atlanta area, and all will be shaping the future history of Atlanta.
