Archie Wayne Rainey (5-8-23) service 5-12-23

Archie Wayne Rainey, 82, of Columbus, Georgia, formerly of Savannah, passed away on Monday, May 8. He was born on Feb. 27, 1941, in Hardin County, the son of the late J.T. and Lucille Duke Rainey.

Mr. Rainey began his lifelong career in law enforcement in 1959 when he enlisted in the U.S. Army and joined the Military Police. After his service, he returned to Savannah and served on the local police force. He then joined the Tennessee Highway Patrol and was stationed in Martin, Tennessee. Working and attending classes of the University of Tennessee at Martin (UTM), he graduated with Bachelors and Masters degrees in criminal justice. In 1978, he received a PhD from Union Graduate School in Ohio. After a short tenure of teaching at UTM he was recruited to Columbus College, now Columbus State University, and began a teaching career that lasted forty years.

In 1995, he was asked by the Georgia Association of Police Chiefs to develop an idea to provide advanced education for police executives statewide. From this, he was instrumental in establishing Georgia Law Enforcement Command College at CSU, which became a premier national model of leadership development that impacted thousands pursuing a career in criminal justice. In 2013, both the Georgia House and Senate passed resolutions of commendations honoring Doctor Rainey describing the impact he made on the state through Command College.

After his passing, Rus Drew, former CSU police chief stated, “Archie will be deeply missed, but his legacy lives on in the Command College graduates who lead public safety efforts across the state with the same quest for knowledge and hardworking commitment to service.”

He is survived by his wife Betty Rainey; daughter, Marsha Combs; granddaughter, Abigail Oates, all from Columbus, Georgia; brother, Joel (Natalie) Rainey of Columbia, Tennessee; sisters, Sharon (Tinker) Haney of Athens, Alabama; Kay (Jimmy) Williams and Lisa (Jim) Murphy, all of Savannah.

Memorial services were held on Friday, May 12, in Columbus, Georgia. Interment was at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery in Phenix City, Alabama, with full military honors.