Beloved 99-year-old author, former educator dies in Ga. house fire

ATLANTA, Ga. — A house fire in Atlanta’s Collier Heights neighborhood Tuesday morning killed 99-year-old Phyllis Lawhorn, an educator, historian and author, neighbors and city officials said.

Fire officials said the fire engulfed Lawhorn’s home and the second floor collapsed. Lawhorn did not survive.

Fire investigators are still investigating the cause.

In the hours after the fire, a neighbor described what she saw.

“The flame was high, high when we looked out the window,” said Keisha Propst, who lives next door.

Lawhorn wrote a book on the history of Collier Heights in her 90s. The book is titled “Atlanta’s Collier Heights: Bending with the Wind.”

Last year, Lawhorn signed copies of the book. In August 2025, the City of Atlanta also awarded her a proclamation for her impact on Atlanta. Councilmember Michael Julian Bond presented it to her.

“Collier Heights is going to miss you, and thank you for your book, and all of the hard work that you put into writing the book,” neighbor Jennifer Walton said. “The wind is blowing now, Phyllis, and that’s part of the title of your book. We thank you for everything that you’ve done for this community, and you will never be forgotten.”

Walton added, “This is a community where we make a difference, and we’re world changers, and Phyllis Lawhorn was one of those people that helped that to take place.”

According to the City of Atlanta, in 1968, Lawhorn was one of the first African American teachers chosen to teach at North Fulton High School in Buckhead. The proclamation said the move was part of a U.S. Supreme Court decision to integrate Black and white faculty in Atlanta’s public schools.

The proclamation said Lawhorn taught English and literature for 30 years in schools in Columbia, South Carolina, and in Atlanta at Archer High, Douglass High and North Fulton High. It said she also taught English and literature at Clark Atlanta University for 27 years.

In a statement, Dr. Christopher Bass, interim dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Clark Atlanta University, described Lawhorn as a “landmark figure” at the school and a “highly respected educator whose passion for teaching and unwavering commitment to academic excellence left an indelible mark on generations of students and colleagues.”

“Professor Lawhorn was dependable, principled, and a true beacon of excellence,” Bass said. “Although she retired in 2013, her influence remains deeply woven into the academic fabric of Clark Atlanta University. We mourn her tragic passing and celebrate her remarkable legacy of intellectual rigor, uncompromising standards, and an unwavering pursuit of excellence in education.”

The city described Lawhorn as a bedrock leader in Collier Heights.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who calls Collier Heights home, released a statement calling the loss of Lawhorn “heartbreaking, not only for her family, but for our entire Collier Heights community.”

Lawhorn was “the glue that kept our little corner of Atlanta connected,” said Dickens, who added that Lawhorn’s home is just around the corner from his, and that he’s often passed by while walking his dog.

Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms also grew up in Collier Heights. Other notable former residents include Ralph D. Abernathy, Herman Russell, Martin Luther King Sr. and Asa Yancey Sr.

Lawhorn “took great pride in having a mayor (Keisha Lance Bottoms and myself) from her own neighborhood, and that is something I will always cherish,” Dickens said.

The 2025 city proclamation said Lawhorn built her house in Collier Heights in 1963.

Collier Heights was one of the first neighborhoods in the U.S. after World War II built for and by African Americans, according to the city’s website. The neighborhood was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

“At 99 years old, [Lawhorn] was one of our neighborhood’s original homeowners and a living connection to its remarkable history,” Dickens said. “At a time when segregation denied Black families opportunities elsewhere, Collier Heights was built by Black people for Black people, and Ms. Lawhorn dedicated much of her life to preserving and sharing that history.”

As the community mourns, Dickens said Atlanta Fire Rescue will conduct its winter fire safety blitz in the neighborhood, checking on senior residents and providing guidance on smoke alarms, space heaters and other fire safety precautions.

“Ms. Lawhorn spent a lifetime looking out for this community, and we owe it to her memory to continue looking out for one another,” Dickens said.