SHAFER: When I was first involved in the late 1980s, the two major groups in Atlanta were the Buckhead YRs and the North Fulton YRs. The Buckhead group met at a restaurant in Buckhead that has since been torn down. I can picture the place in my mind -- exposed brick and green plants -- but I cannot remember its name. Jeff Wansley, Raymond King or Ray Smith might be able to tell you (the name). They were your leaders in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The North Fulton group met in the community room at an apartment complex in Alpharetta. The two groups were rivals, but I belonged to both groups. My actual membership was with Buckhead. I was a sustaining member of North Fulton.

SHEPHERD: No Atlanta YRs?

SHAFER: No, the Atlanta YRs were formed later, in the early 1990s. Martin Dekom was their founding leader. He was a character. Still is.

SHEPHERD: In DeKalb, right?

SHAFER: Yes, and the DeKalb YRs viewed it as a raid on their membership. It caused quite a stir. (laughs) The Atlanta YRs held their early meetings at the 57th Fighter Group restaurant at Peachtree DeKalb Airport. I spoke at their organizational meeting. Marty invited me because I was executive director of the Georgia Republican Party. The DeKalb YRs met at the old Steak and Ale restaurant on Savoy Drive. Rick Richardson was a leading member of that group. I attended a couple of their meetings. I remember Steak and Ale being upset that no one ordered dinner.

SHEPHERD: What were some of the other YR groups?

SHAFER: There was a very small Gwinnett YR group. They met at the Little Gardens restaurant in Lilburn. I lived in Gwinnett County, and I was one of a handful who regularly attended their meetings. The other three regulars were Robert Baker, Scott Dix and Jim Lenehan. Baker was elected to the Public Service Commission in 1992. Dix was elected to the State House that same year, and Lenehan became Chairman of the Gwinnett County Republican Party. Dix and Lenehan later switched parties. Dix became a Democrat and Lenehan a Libertarian. Bad seeds in that YR group. (laughs)

SHEPHERD: Is that the same Gwinnett YR group that meets today?

SHAFER: No, the Little Gardens group faded out of existence. The current Gwinnett YR group was founded by Mark Rountree in the mid 1990s. Their first meeting was at the Red Lobster in Duluth. I am a charter member of the Rountree group.

SHEPHERD: There has been some confusion about which YR organization is the oldest, with each of the three Fulton County organizations claiming the moniker. Is Buckhead the oldest YR organization in the metro area? I heard it was started in the late 1960's.

SHAFER: I do not know when the Buckhead YRs were founded, but they are clearly older than the Atlanta or Gwinnett groups. I believe North Fulton broke away from Buckhead in the early 1980s, but that was before my time. As I think about it, there may have been a Fulton County YRs that predated Buckhead. But I would say that Buckhead has a pretty solid claim on being the oldest existing club in Fulton County.

David Shafer is a leading Republican member of the State Senate.  He served as Executive Director of the Georgia Republican Party in the early 1990s and was the Republican nominee for Secretary of State in 1996.

Find out more about Senator David Shafer at www.votedavid.com.