Beginning around 1915 and until the 1960’s, the land where the Dunwoody campus of Georgia State University is located belonged to the Womack family.  William Womack and wife, Victoria Reed Womack, owned fifty acres at the corner of Tilly Mill Road and Womack Road, which was named for their family.  The four room wood home sat on the west side of the Georgia Perimeter College campus, near the additional parking area.  William and Victoria had three sons; Lester, Elmer and Harvey and three daughters; Georgia, Ola, and Corrie.

William Womack earned a living as a photographer and singing school teacher.  He used a tin type camera for his photographs, working not only in Dunwoody, but traveling to Norcross, Alpharetta, Chamblee, and Doraville.   Journals he kept showed that he paid six dollars a month in board when he was away from home. 

One of his singing schools was held at Winters Chapel Methodist Church, for which he charged each student fifty cents for the ten day session.  A tuning fork was used for pitch.

Elmer Womack and Lester Womack both served as mule drivers in the 69th unit of the Medical Corps during World War I.  Their time in the war was spent together and when the war ended they returned together to farming in Dunwoody.          

The Womack land was sold to DeKalb County Board of Education for the purpose of building DeKalb Community College North Campus, which opened in 1979. DeKalb Community College later became Georgia Perimeter College and is now the Dunwoody campus of Georgia State University.

Elmer Womack continued to live in the family home for a few years, still using a wood burning stove, kerosene lamp, and fireplace for heat.  He knew he would have to leave the old home place soon and had purchased a brick home just around the corner on Tilly Mill Road.  Elmer was quoted in the October 1970 Tucker Eagle newsletter as saying, “I’m not going to let money go to my head.  I like living the way I’m used to and I am content.”  He was seventy five years old at that time.

Much of the information about Will Womack’s photography and singing school endeavors came from journals Elmer Womack kept at his home.  He also treasured his family antiques, such as a spinning wheel.     

Elmer Womack was the proud owner of a 1925 Model T Ford, which mostly sat idle in his garage.  One day a man came by and laid out eight one hundred dollar bills and four fifty dollar bills, and said “Take it or leave it” to Mr. Womack.  He left it, thinking that he might still trade it in on a newer model.