PUB LETTER
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
through the highs and lows of
his mesmerizing life story. It’s
a hospitality he learned from
his Sicilian mother, who made
sure if you were in her house
you were getting fed. Mel’s
the same way, only he feeds
you some of the most incredi-
ble stories you’ll ever hear.
As we began to near dead-
line, however, I could tell Mel
MEL CHANCEY AND LOU VALOZE... TWO TITANS OF THEIR WORLDS THAT
began to worry he’d told us
BEGAN ON OPPOSITES SIDES OF THE LAW - NOW BEST OF FRIENDS.
too many stories. The struggle
I could sense in him says a
lot about the measure of this man•he’s quick to
AS I WALKED INTO THE SANCTUARY OF THE NEWLY
make friends and tell stories, but he doesn’t want
RENOVATED LUTHERAN CHURCH, THERE HE WAS ON
those stories to define him. He wants to be more
HIS KNEES. THIS WAS NO SHOW. IT WAS WHO HE WAS
than what he’s grown beyond. The outlaw life, the
NOW. I HAD SPENT ALL DAY WITH HIM, LISTENING
crazy stories of life on the wrong side of the law,
TO HIS TALES OF VIOLENCE AND CRIME AND NOW WE
he views it all as preamble to the Second Chance
WERE ENDING OUR DAY AT ONE OF THE MOST HIS -
he’s found since. That’s what defines him.
TORIC CHURCHES IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA. AND MEL
In truth, that’s the story we wanted to tell, too.
CHANCEY, THE GUY WHO ONCE SAT NEAR THE PIN -
It’s not a story that romanticizes the life of drugs,
NACLE OF A VAST OUTLAW EMPIRE, NOW PROSTRAT-
guns, and violence. It’s a story that mines those
ED HIMSELF IN PIETY AND HUMILITY BEFORE THE
dark days in his life for the humanity that would
ALTAR OF A CHURCH HE’D NEVER VISITED BEFORE.
one day flourish when Mel Chancey embraced his
The irony of it was almost too much. It’s hard to imagine that
second chance. That’s his story. It’s one that has
someone can change that drastically. He was once the president
inspired countless people around the country as
of one of the most vicious motorcycle clubs in the world yet one
Mel has made it the central message to his fitness
of the most likable guys I had ever met. I could not imagine the
and medical ventures and to the bodybuilding
dark side of him that I had heard so much about.
committee who views him as everyone’s big
You can prepare yourself for just about anything, but nothing
brother.
could prepare me for who I was about to meet. Mel Chancey
It is, ultimately, the story of a second chance.
has been called “the scariest guy I’ve ever met” by some of the
We
might not all have the kind of stories Mel has,
scariest guys I’ve ever met. A man like Mel usually lives and dies
but we all have something for which we could use
by the sword. They rarely change. But this story, the one we
a little redemption. Hopefully Mel’s story inspires
were now lucky enough to tell, is a story of a man that did just
you as it has us.
that. We would soon find the depths of purpose that lies behind
his simple two-word mantra, “Second Chance.” It’s become a
means of redemption for himself, sure, a way to draw strength
from his faith to rewrite the story of his life. But it’s more than
that. It’s an inspiration to thousands of others, looking to re-
write their own stories, that all it takes is faith and a willingness
to make amends.
It’s easy to see how this one man’s story has been able to
reach and influence so many. It’s very easy to like Mel Chancey.
He’s the kind of guy who will call you brother after meeting you
once, quick to welcome you into his life with stories that roll
off his tongue in a free-flowing train of thought that takes you
18
SOUTH MAGAZINE
June | July 2018
MICHAEL BROOKS
PUBLISHER/CREATIVE DIRECTOR
ABOUT THE COVERS
Mel Chancey was considered by
many to be one of the most dangerous
men in the world of outlaw motorcy-
cle clubs. Now after spending time
in prison and working hard to get
his life in order, Mel spends his days
“praying-up” to keep him from falling
back into the world that nearly cost
him his life. Read his incredible story
of redemption on page 96 as we tack-
le the second part of the series in the
life of ATF Agent, Lou Valoze. Cover
photography by Blake Crosby. Cover
design by Michael Brooks.
When people think of Henry Ford,
founder of the Ford Motor Compa-
ny, they naturally think of the Motor
City: Detroit, Michigan. But as it
turns out, the famed industrialist
had strong ties to the Coastal Em-
pire as well. In the 1930s, Ford built
his winter estate on the site of an old
rice plantation located just outside
of Savannah. Today, The Ford
Plantation is home to one of the top
residential golf courses in the United
States. Read more about the course
and its designer, the legendary Pete
Dye, on page 56. Cover photography
by Russ Bryant. Cover design by
Michael Brooks.