07 SR357/AP
Senate
Resolution 357
By:
Senator Whitehead, Sr. of the 24th
ADOPTED
ADOPTED
A
RESOLUTION
Dedicating
certain portions of the state highway system; and for other
purposes.
PART
I
WHEREAS,
Major McGuire was born February 6, 1920, in Tampa, Florida, and died on
September 9, 1992, in Appling County, Georgia; and
WHEREAS,
he received his pilot´s wings at Bush Field in Augusta, Georgia, when he
was only 21 years of age, and served his country in the Army Air Corps;
and
WHEREAS,
he completed six circumnavigations of the world; and
WHEREAS,
he flew in North Africa during World War II and also flew judges in and out of
Berlin during the Nuremberg trials; and
WHEREAS,
Major McGuire flew the first plane into Goose Bay, Labrador, where there was no
runway; and
WHEREAS,
he was the first pilot to land a four-engine plane at the North Pole;
and
WHEREAS,
he was promoted to the rank of Major at the age of 31 and retired at 33 after
suffering a severe heart attack; and
WHEREAS,
he returned to Georgia in 1958 after serving as a city councilman in North Miami
Beach, Florida; and
WHEREAS,
it is only fitting that this courageous soldier and pilot be honored with a
lasting memorial for his service to his country.
PART
II
WHEREAS,
the late L. M. Moye, Jr., was a distinguished citizen and resident of Stewart
County, Georgia, for the majority of his lifetime; and
WHEREAS,
he was affectionately known in and around Stewart County during his lifetime as
"Red" Moye and made substantial civic and community contributions to the State
of Georgia, and County of Stewart; and
WHEREAS,
he was a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology and served his country
in World War II as a U.S. Navy Lt. Commander during the North African Campaign,
as well as performing active duty military service at Sicily, Anzio, Palermo,
and Normandy; and
WHEREAS,
L. M. Moye, Jr., was awarded and decorated with the Purple Heart as a result of
his military service to the United States of America; and
WHEREAS,
among his achievements and contributions in the areas of historic preservation,
he was an original founder and assisted with the early stewardship of Westville
Village, and donated land and otherwise worked to establish and promote the
Singer-Moye Indian Mounds so that both of these museums could be enjoyed in
perpetuity; and
WHEREAS,
he helped to establish the Stewart County Fire Unit of the Georgia Forestry
Commission, served as Stewart County´s District Supervisor on the Lower
Chattahoochee Soil and Water Conservation Board, and also served a term as State
President; and
WHEREAS,
L. M. Moye, Jr., served his community in various capacities as a volunteer,
including service as a Little League and Pony League baseball coach, Cub Scout
leader, and member of Cuthbert Presbyterian Church; and
WHEREAS,
he established and maintained a home in Stewart County with his wife, Sue
McLendon Moye, whom he married in 1945, and together they raised two sons,
Andrew J. Moye, III, and Matthew M. Moye, on the family homeplace located three
miles south of Lumpkin, Georgia, on the family plantation which has been owned
by the family since 1853; and
WHEREAS,
the Moye home located in Stewart County was built in 1836 and remains in
excellent condition due to the stewardship of L. M. Moye, Jr., and his spouse,
who still resides in the home; and
WHEREAS,
L. M. Moye, Jr., employed his personal motto to "leave the place in better shape
than you found it" in various aspects of his life, including his work and his
support of historic preservation efforts; and
WHEREAS,
the Board of Commissioners of Stewart County deems it fitting and appropriate to
honor the achievements and contributions of the late L. M. "Red" Moye, Jr., by
designating a permanent public memorial near his homeplace.
PART
III
WHEREAS,
Eddie Wiggins will soon be stepping down as the chairman of the 21st Century
Partnership; and
WHEREAS,
he was a founding father of the partnership in 1993 and has served as chairman
since 1999; and
WHEREAS,
normally a chairman serves a two-year term, but Eddie Wiggins remained as
chairman due to repeated requests from the community and his absolute passion
for Robins Air Force Base and Middle Georgia; and
WHEREAS,
Eddie Wiggins successfully guided Robins Air Force Base and the community
through many challenging issues including reduced budgets, privatization
threats, lack of adequate on-base and off-base housing, and lack of medical
participation in the TRICARE program; and
WHEREAS,
since 1993, Robins Air Force Base has grown from about 18,000 to 27,000
personnel, increased its economic impact on Georgia from $2.3 billion to $4.2
billion, and survived three base closure and realignment rounds; and
WHEREAS,
Eddie Wiggins is known nationally as Middle Georgia´s Mr. Air Force, and he
deserves recognition for dedicating his heart and soul to Robins Air Force Base
and the airmen who serve our great country so proudly.
PART
IV
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that the bridge on
SR 104 at Keg Creek, in Columbia County, be dedicated as the Major Byron S.
McGuire, Sr. Memorial Bridge.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body dedicate the bridge over
Pataula Creek on US 27 in Stewart County be dedicated as the L. M. Moye, Jr.
Memorial Bridge.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body dedicate the Russell Parkway
bridge over SR 247 in Houston County as the Eddie Wiggins Bridge.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is authorized and
directed to erect and maintain appropriate signs dedicating the road facilities
named in this resolution.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed
to transmit appropriate copies of this resolution to the Department of
Transportation, to the family of Major Byron S. McGuire, Sr., to the family of
L. M. Moye, Jr., and to Eddie Wiggins.