07 LC 96
2247
House
Resolution 247
By:
Representatives Cooper of the
41st,
Wilkinson of the
52nd,
Lunsford of the
110th,
Lindsey of the
54th,
and Peake of the
137th
A
RESOLUTION
Honoring
Ferrol A. Sams, Jr., M.D., on the occasion of his retirement and inviting him to
appear before the House of Representatives; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
Dr. Ferrol Sams, Jr., is a celebrated family physician and nationally recognized
author of Fayetteville, Georgia; and
WHEREAS,
he was born on September 26, 1922, in Fayetteville, Georgia, received his
Bachelor of Arts degree from Mercer University in 1942, earned his M.D. from
Emory University School of Medicine in 1949, interned at Lawson V.A. Hospital in
Atlanta, and conducted his residency at Shreveport Charity Hospital in
Shreveport, Louisiana; and
WHEREAS,
during World War II, he nobly interrupted his studies to serve with the U.S.
Army in the European Theater of Operations from 1944 to 1946; and
WHEREAS,
he met the love of his life, Helen Fletcher, while they were both studying
medicine at Emory University, and they married in 1948; and
WHEREAS,
Doctors Helen and Ferrol Sams are not only romantic partners; they are
professional partners who practiced general medicine in Fayetteville, Georgia,
for more than 55 years, and were known as passionate physicians who put an equal
combination of technical expertise and loving sensitivity into the service of
the community; and
WHEREAS,
in 1978, Ferrol began writing a family history recounting his upbringing in
rural Georgia with the intention of sharing it with loved ones, but, as the
scale of the document grew, the memoirs evolved into Dr. Sams's first novel,
Run with the
Horsemen, and was published in 1982 and
became a national bestseller; and
WHEREAS,
the success of
Run with the
Horsemen incited him to write seven more
books: The
Whisper of the River,
The Widow's
Mite and Other Stories,
The Passing:
Perspectives of Rural America,
Christmas
Gift!,
When All the
World Was Young,
Epiphany:
Stories, and
Down
Town; and
WHEREAS,
he is a devoted servant of his community and has served as a member of the
Fayetteville City Council, Chairman of the Fayetteville County Board of Health,
the North Georgia Health Systems Agency, and the Board of Directors for Blue
Cross and Blue Shield and has taught as a professor at the Emory School of
Medicine and as a Sunday School Teacher at the Fayetteville United Methodist
Church; and
WHEREAS,
Ferrol lists as his greatest achievement his 59 years of marriage to Helen,
considers his role as husband to be just as important as his role as a doctor,
cites his favorite book as the Bible, and has a thoroughly practiced green
thumb; and
WHEREAS,
a true son of Georgia, Dr. Ferrol Sams has brought honor to the community of
Fayetteville, to this state, and to his country.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of
this body recognize physician and author Ferrol A. Sams, Jr., M.D., for his
outstanding service to the State of Georgia and extend to him the best of wishes
for a beautiful and fulfilling retirement.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Dr. Ferrol Sams, Jr., is hereby invited to appear
before the House of Representatives on a day and at a time designated by the
Speaker of the House of Representatives.