Interview with Anthony A. Alaimo, March 4, 2005

Charles Campbell interviews Anthony Alaimo about his experiences as a prisoner of war in Germany during World War II, his time as an attorney in Atlanta, and his tenure as a judge in the U.S. District Court (Southern District of Georgia). Judge Anthony Alaimo discusses his early life and education. He comments on his perception of and involvement with World War II, his enlistment and training in the Army Air Corps, and the crash which led to his time as a POW. Regarding his time as a POW, Alaimo discusses his experiences during captivity and his multiple escape attempts. He discusses his role in the film "Great Escape" and his subsequent education at the Emory Unviersity School of Law. Alaimo reflects on serving as an attorney in both Atlanta and Brunswick and as a judge. He comments on the Georgia prison system and the Guthrie V. Evans case and the significant changes he made as a federal judge.

Anthony A. Alaimo was born in 1920 in Sicily, and grew up in Jamestown, New York. After graduating from Ohio Northern University, Alaimo joined the Army Air Corps and became a fighter pilot in World War II. He was shot down over Holland and imprisoned by the Germans in the camp later made famous by the film The Great Escape. Following the war he attended Emory University Law School, subsequently practicing law in Atlanta and Brunswick. In 1971, he was appointed U.S. District Court Judge, Southern District of Georgia, and in 1972 presided over the Guthrie v. Evans prison reform case. In 1976, he was made Chief Judge of the District, a post he held until 1990.

2005-03-04

RBRL175OHD-004

88 minutes