Book I: A legacy of presence
There was a moment last month when Reginald Thornton, surrounded by family in a small ballroom at a Cobb County Embassy Suites, paused — caught by a memory too large for words.
He swept his gaze across the room and watched adult grandchildren mingle, uncles in seersucker suits trade jokes and aunties in wide-brimmed hats share hugs, a heavy tapestry of lineage.
They represent three branches of the Thornton family — descendants of brothers Frank, Willie and Clarence.
But Reginald’s mind turned to his father, Hubbard “Herb” Thornton, who had died just a year earlier…