Founder Of ATL Restaurant Staple, WWII Vet Dies At 97

TUCKER, GA — George Jackson, a longtime restauranteur in metro Atlanta, recently died of an unknown cause. He was 97.

Jackson, founder of barbecue eatery Old Hickory House in Atlanta and Tucker, died Thursday, according to his obituary. He was originally from Snellville.

"George enjoyed coming to his restaurant everyday to visit with his customers. He considered many of them to be his good friends," read his obituary.

Old Hickory House shared the news Sunday in a Facebook post.

"Gone, but never forgotten," the company said.

Jackson was born on Dec. 7, 1926, in Alabama and later attended the University of Alabama.

A World War II Navy veteran, he relocated to Atlanta in 1955 and opened the first Old Hickory House on Piedmont Road. Then came the Tucker location in 1974.

Jackson also owned two other restaurant locations, read his obituary.

According to its website, Old Hickory House Forest Park once played a setting for a "Smokey and the Bandit" scene in 1977.

"This scene at the Old Hickory House had Jackie Gleason and Burt Reynolds in it. Gleason ordered a Diablo sandwich which we now serve at our location in Tucker, Georgia. Elvis Presley was another celebrity among others who frequented the Old Hickory House’s in the Atlanta area," the company said on its website.

On his tribute wall, people remembered Jackson as a "true Southern gentleman" with a "beautiful life." Memories poured in as people shared Jackson's impact on their lives.

Jackson was a member and deacon at Morningside Baptist Church and was later an active member of Mt. Carmel Christian Church, his obituary read. He served as a member of the Northeast Atlanta Lions Club.