Dr. John Rhodes Alston Trotter was born on December 31, 1953 in Columbus Georgia and passed away on July 3, 2021. He was born to Daniel Dennie Trotter, Sr. and Jo Ann Frazier Trotter. He was the youngest of his family.
He attended Jordan High School and Columbus State University. He graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Education from Columbus State University in 1976 and was also the recipent of the Columbus State University Faculty Cup. In 1978 and 1984, he graduated from the University of Georgia with a MA and a Doctorate in Education. Dr. Trotter also graduated in Law JD from Walter F. George School of Law of Mercer University in 2004. He worked as a teacher, coach, and administrator in several Georgia school systems and with the Georgia Association of Educators/National Education Association.
In 1995, Dr. Trotter was the principal founder of the Metro Association of Classroom Educators (MACE), a for-profit teachers union which is noted for its aggressive advocacy for teachers. Dr. Trotter‘s articles, comments, and activities on various educational, historical, religious and political issues have appeared in electronic media, newspapers, and educational journals throughout the country, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Christian Science Monitor, The Journal of Negro Education, and Education Week. In the mid-1980s, Dr. Trotter was appointed to serve on the National Republican Teacher Advisory Council. He served as the Georgia Chairman. He has also served as Chairman of the Clayton County Georgia NAACP Political Action Committee, and in 1990 he was awarded the NAACP Image Award for Humanitarian Service.
He loved God, his family, politics, and the Georgia Bulldogs. He had a heart of gold and certainly would give you anything he could. He was authentic and honest. He loved traveling to Brazil a few months out of the year and spending time with Luci and her son Vito.
Dr. Trotter is preceded in death by his parents, Daniel Dennie Trotter, Sr. and Jo Ann Frazier Trotter. He is survived by his two sons, Robert Augustus Alston Trotter and Matthew Alston Tyndall Trotter and one daughter, Marissa M. Sealy; sister Patti Lou Trotter and brother Daniel Dennie Trotter, Jr. (Debbie); nieces and nephews, Bo Trotter Oates, Natalie Trotter Teasley (Ben), Daniel Dennie Trotter, III (Lori), and Caroline Trotter Basquill-White (Nick); great nieces and nephews, Stefan Allen Burkhalter (Katie), Madison Katherine Oates, Jackson McPherson Oates, Abigail Brooke Oates, Trotter Benjamin Teasley, Canon Scott Teasley, Daniel Dennie Trotter, IV, Giles Anderson Teasley, Fletcher Rhodes Teasley, Pacer Press Trotter and Truly Wright Trotter.
A service to celebrate the life will be held on Wednesday, July 7, 2021 at 2:00 PM in the Chapel of Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, 4071 Macon Rd., Columbus GA, 31907. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Burial will follow the service at Park Hill Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Douglas Stanley Taylor Scholarship- Jordan Vocational High School, P. O. Box 1456, Columbus, GA 31902 or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (800) 533-CURE (2873).
