Foster, John Don, 2011 March 01

This is a Living History interview with J. Don Foster, class of 1967, conducted by Marilyn Somers on March 1, 2011 at his office in Mobile, Alabama. The subject of the interview is the interviewee’s life and experiences at Georgia Tech.

Mr. Foster was born in Mobile, Alabama in 1945, but the majority of his childhood was spent in Foley, Alabama. His paternal grandmother was very instrumental in his upbringing, but he did not see his maternal grandparents much. His father was Foley doctor while his mother held medical jobs from time to time. Mr. Foster has two younger sisters. He started school at Lineville Elementary School and then went to Foley Elementary School. Mr. Foster later went on to play football for Foley High School and received many football offers from various universities including Georgia Tech and the University of Alabama. Mr. Foster ultimately chose to sign with Georgia Tech to play under Coach Bobby Dodd. He started out as a pre-med student majoring in Biology, but Mr. Foster eventually changed his major to Industrial Management. He pledges Sigma Alpha Epsilon during his freshman year as well. He was a part of the football teams that went to the 1965 Gator Bowl and the 1967 Orange Bowl. In 1967, Mr. Foster graduated and decided to pursue a law degree at the University of Alabama. Once he graduated from law school, Mr. Foster received his military assignment to join the defense artillery in Fort Bliss, Texas. Once he completed the program, Mr. Foster chose to go into the United States Army Reserves. He married his first wife, Mary Kate, at the age of twenty-five. Mr. Foster joined a law firm in Mobile, Alabama where he worked for five years, and then he traveled to Foley to start his own law firm where he practiced general law. Mr. Foster later served on the State Board of Bar Commissioners and the Judicial Inquiry Commission. He was later appointed as the United States State Attorney by President Bill Clinton in 1995. Mr. Foster was the State Attorney for six years, and the job helped keep him focused after his wife died of brain cancer. Once his federal appointment was complete, Mr. Foster started another law firm in Mobile. He has two partners, Sid Jackson and Matt Richardson, and the firm is completely litigation-oriented. Mr. Foster has since remarried to a woman names Kathy. He has two children, Meredith, who is a principal, and Harlan, who is a hotel casino developer. He has six grandchildren. Mr. Foster’s father passed away at eighty-five, but his mother is still alive.