Biggerstaff, Valerie Mathis: - Valerie Mathis Biggerstaff, a well-known local historian and writer, was commissioned to compile this history of Brookhaven. Biggerstaff has relied upon local history centers, schools, churches, Oglethorpe University, and the scrapbooks and memories of residents. Rebecca Chase Williams, a member of Brookhaven's first city council and former mayor, initiated this project to pull together the city's history. Williams, a former ABC News correspondent, employed her journalism background to gather images and tell the story of Brookhaven. Together, Biggerstaff and Williams document the growth of this "haven" between the "brooks" that has become a thriving city.