05 LC 18
4510
House
Resolution 821
By:
Representatives Jamieson of the
28th,
Oliver of the
83rd,
Kidd of the
115th,
Rogers of the
26th,
Harbin of the
118th,
and others
A
RESOLUTION
Honoring
the life and lifetime achievements of the late Governor Samuel Ernest Vandiver,
Jr., by recommending that an appropriate building on the University of Georgia
campus be named in his memory; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
upon his death in February, 2005, memorial accolades poured forth to remember
Governor S. Ernest Vandiver, Jr., including lines from
The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution "if a single figure
can be said to demarcate the end of Old Georgia and the beginning of the New, it
was former Governor Ernest Vandiver, Jr."; and
WHEREAS,
Governor Vandiver addressed the General Assembly in 1961 to announce that a
campaign platform position he had taken was ill-timed, ill-advised, and not in
the best interest of many qualified Georgians who sought admission to the
University of Georgia; and
WHEREAS,
because of the Governor's recognition that the flagship university of the
state's system should be opened to students of all races, nationalities, and
stations in life, he therefore desegregated the University of Georgia;
and
WHEREAS,
the university was integrated with none of the vicious riots and fatalities
associated with integration of universities in other parts of the Deep South;
and
WHEREAS,
as Toccoa
Record publisher Tom Law opined,
"Vandiver's gutsy decision also paved the way for relatively peaceful racial
relations in Georgia throughout the tumultuous 1960's. Although he didn't
benefit from the decision, Georgia certainly did ..."; and
WHEREAS,
Governor Vandiver was eulogized in his beloved First Baptist Church of Lavonia
by the honorable former Attorney General of the United States, Griffin Bell, who
said "Ernie Vandiver was a great Southerner. He rose above being a political
leader and became a statesman ..."; and
WHEREAS,
the University of Georgia educated and nurtured Governor S. Ernest Vandiver,
Jr., and should honor this native son of Georgia by bestowing his name upon a
prominent building on the main campus.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that this body
recommends to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, the
president of the University of Georgia, and the University Council that action
be taken to honor this statesman by perpetuating his memory and courage and
sustaining his contributions to the University of Georgia forever by bestowing
his name upon a prominent building on the main campus.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to transmit appropriate copies of this resolution to the board of
regents, the president of University of Georgia, and the University Council.