Max Goodley was a friend of Carson McCullers who encouraged her early ambitions and was also an aspiring writer himself. He was born in Henderson, Kentucky in 1902 to George and Ora Goodley and for about 40 years lived in a pinewood cabin in Columbus, Georgia. Mr. Goodley was a horticulturalist and took great pleasure in breeding day lilies and camellias . Included in the collection are his many poems and original manuscripts of his novel Oskar . In 1931 and 1932, Max lived in Columbus, sharing an apartment with Wilford Foote at 1236 2nd Avenue. Max died on October 23, 1993 in Columbus.

Wilford Claire Foote was born November 28, 1889 in Estherville, Iowa. In 1917, according to his draft registration, he was living in Minneapolis where he taught at the Northwestern Conservatory of Music. He later moved to Columbus, Georgia and taught at the Chase Conservatory of Music at 220 10th Street in the 1930s. He lived at 1236 2nd Avenue in Columbus, Georgia. He also was the choir director at the First Baptist Church and Rose Hill Baptist Church and was the musical director of the Choral Club, directing many musical productions. He did on November, 26, 1946 in Columbus at the age of 58.

Goodley and Foote were the owners of “Footholde” on the east side of Whitesville Road, 10 miles from the city.