TSNA Member Spotlight: Virginia Mobley

TSNA Founder, Former TSNA President, and Lifelong Champion of Thomas Square

By Jess Shaw, for TSNA Today

Few people embody the spirit of Thomas Square quite like Virginia Mobley. Born in the very home she lives in today, Virginia has spent her entire 81 years within the same four-block radius. “My clothes have always hung here. I’ve always gotten mail here,” she says with a smile.

Her family roots run just as deep. Virginia still operates Oglethorpe Marble and Granite, a business her grandfather founded in 1907. Generations of her family—grandparents, great-grandparents—have lived within walking distance of her current home.

“We used to say that in this neighborhood, you could be born here, be educated here, raise a family here, and die here—without ever leaving.”

Virginia recalls a time when Savannah felt smaller and closer. One of her earliest milestones of independence was walking alone to the corner grocery store—an experience that, unbeknownst to her at the time, was quietly orchestrated by her mother.

“I was so proud to go by myself. I didn’t know my mom had already called the butcher and told him what to give me.”

From a young age, Virginia understood that being part of a community meant contributing to it. Her family wasn’t deeply political, but they advocated for issues that impacted daily life. That example stuck with her.

“I didn’t have many options growing up—teacher, nurse, or secretary. None of those interested me, so I found my own path.”

That path led her to community work, where she began auditing city planning classes, following public meetings, and learning from the ground up. Today, she estimates she has over 60 years of experience in civic planning and neighborhood advocacy.

And that legacy is visible everywhere.

Whether it’s zoning codes she helped revise, the renovated Thomas Park (made possible by a grant she wrote), or the fact that Thomas Square was the first neighborhood outside the Landmark District to receive historic designation, her fingerprints are on many of the spaces we enjoy today.

She also helped bring Kroger to Gwinnett Street, recognizing the neighborhood’s need for accessible groceries long before food equity became a citywide topic.

“There was no committee. No formal effort. Just perseverance—showing up at meetings again and again until it happened.”

Her commitment to community even includes a brush with national politics:

“I once fed President Carter in my driveway,” she laughs. “He was visiting a property my husband had worked on. His daughter stayed with mine while they were at an event, and they came back and we shared whatever was in the kitchen—under the carport.”

Virginia’s influence has extended beyond Savannah, thanks in part to her three daughters, all of whom work in planning or management across Georgia.

“They’ve given me opportunities to engage with government at the state and regional levels. I’ve learned a lot by seeing how other places operate.”

When asked how she’s been able to accomplish so much, she doesn’t hesitate:

“It takes belief in what you’re doing. Stick-to-itiveness. And being rational.”

Of course, not everyone agrees with her positions—and she’s learned to live with that, too.

“People sometimes say, ‘Oh, I’ve heard of you!’ And I’ll ask, ‘Oh yeah? What have you heard?’ There are misconceptions. I’ve read articles that didn’t reflect what I actually said. But I’ve stopped worrying about that.”

One common myth? That she doesn’t like alcohol sales.

“People think I’m a teetotaler because I’ve opposed alcohol licenses. But it’s not about the alcohol—it’s about the location.”

Through it all, Virginia Mobley has remained one thing above all: committed. To the people. To the history. To the quality of life in Thomas Square. And thanks to her work, generations to come will inherit a stronger, more thoughtful neighborhood—built on the foundations she helped lay.