| Overall UK Wins: 27 | Overall UK Losses: 13 | Win % 67.5 |
Date of Birth: November 21, 1933
Date of Death: October 1, 2008
Hometown: Savannah, GA

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Obituary - Savannah Morning News (October 2, 2008)

J. Don Ferguson: Actor Never Left Savannah

by Joel Weickgenant

Don Ferguson Jr. remembers his father as the quintessential overacheiver.

If J. Don Ferguson joined a church, he wanted to be on the board of directors. If he joined the Savannah Exchange Club, he wanted to be president.

The senior Ferguson parlayed his passion for athletics into 10 years as an NCAA Basketball Tournament referee. Moreover, his love for acting turned into more than 135 feature film appearances and numerous starring roles in Savannah theater.

Those two pursuits came together in "The Longest Yard," Ferguson's second big-movie appearance, when he not only played the role of the lead football referee, but he also trained the other referees, his son said.

J. Don Ferguson died Wednesday at Candler Hospital, after an 11-year battle with leukemia. He was 74.

What his son wants people to remember most, though, is his father's love for his adopted hometown.

"He never left Savannah, because he loved Savannah," Ferguson Jr. said.

Ferguson, a native of Knoxville, Tenn., moved to Savannah in 1961 to manage radio station WSOK.

Among other pursuits, Ferguson applied his acting talents to ministry, performing a one-man show as Peter the Apostle at a number of churches. He was a member of Savannah Christian Church. He also was a motivational speaker and the spokesman for Dan Vaden Chevrolet for 18 years.

Vaden Automotive Group vice president Bill Daniel remembers Ferguson as "a very special friend."

"He had a wonderful sense of humor that became synonymous" with the company, Daniel said. "The funny ads, the deep voice. I remember one of the early TV ads, in which Don somehow fit himself into a small motorized car that was shaped like a Corvette.

"He had an attitude about life that was effervescent. He was always positive," Daniel said.

Ferguson was a vested member of the Screen Actor's Guild. He played starring roles in "The Fantastics," "110 In the Shade," and "Bye Bye Birdie," among others.

Walt Kessel worked on the technical side in theater shows in which Ferguson starred.

"He didn't walk over anybody else, even though he had much more talent," Kessel said. "It didn't matter where he was - he always gave his utmost."

Services for Ferguson are set for 11 a.m. today at Fox & Weeks Funeral Directors' Hodgson Chapel, 7200 Hodgson Memorial Drive. Internment will be at Hillcrest Abbey Memorial Park.

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