06 LC 28
3004
Senate
Resolution 1082
By:
Senators Miles of the 43rd, Brown of the 26th, Pearson of the 51st, Shafer of
the 48th, Thomas of the 2nd and others
A
RESOLUTION
Dedicating
the Coretta Scott King Memorial Park on the Oconee River near Irwinton; and for
other purposes.
WHEREAS,
Coretta Scott King was born in Heiberger, Alabama, in 1927 to Obadiah and
Bernice McMurry Scott and grew up in Perry County, Alabama; and
WHEREAS,
she excelled in her studies in school, particularly in music, and was
valedictorian of her class at Lincoln High School in 1945; and
WHEREAS,
she attended Antioch College on a scholarship and received her Bachelor of Arts
degree in music and education, winning a scholarship to study concert singing at
the New England Conservatory of Music; and
WHEREAS,
while at Antioch College, she joined the Antioch chapter of the NAACP and the
college's Race Relations and Civil Liberties Committees and began an active
interest in the civil rights movement, which was in its early stages;
and
WHEREAS,
while at the New England Conservatory of Music, she met a young theology
student, Martin Luther King, Jr., whom she married in 1953; and
WHEREAS,
after moving to Montgomery, Alabama, where her husband had accepted the
pastorate of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, she became deeply involved in the
civil rights movement; and
WHEREAS,
after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus for a white passenger, Dr.
King, with the assistance and support of Mrs. King, organized and led a boycott
of the city's buses, which drew the attention of the world to the injustices of
racial segregation; and
WHEREAS,
while her husband led marches in city after city to protest injustice and
discrimination, Coretta Scott King did her part in the civil rights movement by
combining her talents in music with her organizational abilities to produce a
series of critically acclaimed Freedom Concerts, combining poetry, narration,
and music to tell the story of the civil rights movement, raise funds for the
Southern Christian Leadership Council, and inspire citizens to remove the laws
requiring racial segregation; and
WHEREAS,
she was honored by being the first woman to deliver the Class Day address at
Harvard University and the first woman to preach at a statutory service at
St. Paul's Cathedral in London; and
WHEREAS,
after the death of her husband, she founded and became the first president and
chief executive officer of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent
Social Change, Inc., dedicated to keeping husband's dream and purpose alive;
and
WHEREAS,
she traveled throughout the world for the causes of justice and human rights and
served as an inspiration for all the peoples of the nations of the world to seek
freedom; and
WHEREAS,
she devoted her life to fulfilling her husband's commitment to seek peace and
justice through nonviolent action, to advocating for social change across the
nation and throughout the world, to protecting the environment; to promoting
economic improvement and development for all people, and to maintaining the
enduring legacy of her husband's dreams; and
WHEREAS,
on January 30, 2006, the State of Georgia lost one of its finest and most
distinguished citizens in the passing of Coretta Scott King; and
WHEREAS,
the State of Georgia mourns the loss of this monumental stateswoman whose
steadfast leadership and great personal strength guided the citizens of this
state through trying times with great dignity and moral integrity;
and
WHEREAS,
the State of Georgia recently acquired approximately 537 acres of parkland on
the Oconee River near Irwinton, an area which is generally known as Ball's
Ferry; and
WHEREAS,
this area is a part of the Altamaha River watershed that drains one-quarter of
the state and is the home to one of only two populations worldwide of the
endangered Robust Redhorse fish and at least two other endangered species;
and
WHEREAS, this site is located on the fall line which contains unusual geology, plants, and animals; and
WHEREAS, this site is located on the fall line which contains unusual geology, plants, and animals; and
WHEREAS,
this area is a region rich in history, containing Indian trails, mounds, and
rare intact Indian fish traps. Ball's Ferry was founded in the early 1800s by a
Revolutionary War veteran to provide transportation across the Oconee River and
was the site of the first bridge to provide regional automobile access from
Macon to Savannah; and
WHEREAS,
Ball's Ferry has been designated as a site on the March to the Sea Heritage
Trail where the Union troops under Sherman skirmished with Confederate troops
for three days before being able to cross the Oconee River; and
WHEREAS,
the opportunities for recreation for Georgia citizens at this site are seemingly
limitless; and
WHEREAS,
in light of Coretta Scott King's commitment in her life to history, the
environment, economic improvement, and limitless opportunities for all, it is
fitting and appropriate that this park be dedicated to her and her
memory.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that the
approximately 537 acres of parkland on the Oconee River near Irwinton which is
generally known as Ball's Ferry is dedicated as the Coretta Scott King Memorial
Park.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Natural Resources is authorized and
directed to place and maintain appropriate markers designating the Coretta Scott
King Memorial Park.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed
to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to the Department of Natural
Resources and the family of Coretta Scott King.