07 LC
25 4957
House
Resolution 829
By:
Representatives Porter of the
143rd,
Buckner of the
130th,
Hugley of the
133rd,
Ashe of the
56th,
Benfield of the
85th,
and others
A
RESOLUTION
Honoring
the memory of Honorable Ogden Doremus and expressing regret at his passing; and
for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
news of the passing of Honorable Ogden Doremus, judge of the State Court of
Candler County and known as "Georgia's Mr. Environment" for his longtime
preeminent state-wide leadership in the causes of environmental protection and
wise stewardship of natural resources, is received with deep regret by this
body; and
WHEREAS,
the life led by this distinguished gentleman of 85 years rendered his name dear
to the hearts of his family, friends, and fellow citizens alike;
and
WHEREAS,
an Atlanta native, as a young man he courageously served his country as a combat
veteran in World War II and fought in Normandy on D-Day; and
WHEREAS,
after the war, he graduated from Emory University School of Law in 1949, and
over the course of his distinguished legal career he joined his father at the
law firm that evolved into King and Spalding, later moved his practice to
Savannah and then Metter, and capped his legal career by serving with
distinction as judge of the State Court of Candler County from 1985 to 2005,
assuming senior judge status thereafter; and
WHEREAS,
in addition to his many accomplishments and contributions to the legal
profession, his lawyer's acumen made him a stellar lobbyist for and leader of
the cause of environmental protection to which he was so deeply committed and to
which he passionately and effectively contributed so much of his time and
efforts for so many years; and
WHEREAS,
by way of example, in the early 1950s he began working to protect the
environment while serving as a member of the Atlanta Board of Aldermen (now the
Atlanta City Council); successfully lobbied for a state law to stop sawmills
from dumping waste into Peachtree Creek; battled with Chatham County officials
over inadequate sewage disposal in the late 1960s; helped found and served as a
trustee of the Georgia Conservancy, now one of this state's oldest and most
respected environmental advocacy groups, in 1973; was instrumental in the
passage of the Coastal Marshlands Protection Act of 1970, for which he was later
honored by the General Assembly; and later co-founded the Georgia Center for Law
in the Public Interest, a nonprofit legal arm of the environmental movement in
this state, in 1991; and
WHEREAS,
his unfailing, lifelong determination and courage inspired others to speak out,
and he never flagged in his long fight to protect Georgia's precious natural
resources, even to the end; and
WHEREAS,
while in life he commanded the esteem of his fellow Georgians, in his death we
mingle our sympathies with the grief of his family, friends, and fellow
citizens.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of
this body honor the memory of Honorable Ogden Doremus and express their regret
at his passing.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to the family of
Honorable Ogden Doremus.