John P. Imlay, JR

      John P. Imlay, Jr. – technology pioneer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, sports enthusiast, loving family man – had many talents and many passions.

      Born in Jacksonville, FL, and raised in Savannah, GA, John moved to Atlanta in 1954 to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology and never looked back.  John’s love of Atlanta influenced his career in software, his angel investing, his philanthropy, his friends, and his family.

      Following early years at Honeywell and Univac, in 1970 John took a bankrupt company, Management Science America (MSA), and built it into one of the nation’s most successful software companies. MSA also became an incubator for technology executives whom John mentored as they made their own way spawning some 100 new companies.

      MSA went into the public market in 1981 and in 1990, John sold MSA to Dun & Bradstreet Corporation.

      To further mentor the burgeoning technology community in Atlanta, John established Imlay Investments, Inc. Over the next 20 years, John worked with more than 120 technology companies as an angel investor.

      In 1990 John also established The Imlay Foundation, Inc., which continues to be a mainstay of philanthropy in Atlanta and Scotland with an added emphasis on fostering small, entrepreneurial nonprofits, reflecting his business career.

      John was an avid golfer and sports fan, purchasing an interest in the Atlanta Falcons in 1991. John also mentored the legacy of his hero, Bobby Jones, through support of the Bobby Jones Scholars, the Bobby Jones Ethics Program at Emory University, founding Friends of Bobby Jones, sponsoring The Art of Golf exhibit at The High Museum and countless speaking engagements on his favorite subject – Bobby Jones.

      As a golfer, John was a member of 7 golf clubs both in Atlanta and Scotland. John’s love of Scotland was anchored in Westerdunes, the home he and his wife, Mary Ellen, restored and enjoyed in North Berwick for more than 25 years. John and Mary Ellen hosted hundreds of their favorite people in their Scottish home.