sr296_AP_9.html

07 SR296/AP

Senate Resolution 296

By: Senator Goggans of the 7th

ADOPTED

A RESOLUTION

Dedicating certain portions of the state highway system; and for other purposes.

PART I

WHEREAS, Julian Abel was born on April 23, 1921, and enlisted on August 20, 1942, to serve his country in the Army Air Force during World War II; and

WHEREAS, he was shot down on November 26, 1943; and

WHEREAS, this great citizen of Berrien County, Georgia, made the ultimate sacrifice while in service to his country and defending it during time of war; and

WHEREAS, this courageous soldier, in the spirit of the American patriot, confronted the dangers, privations, and discomforts of wartime service with steadfast resolve, making us as a nation truly proud; and

WHEREAS, all Americans owe a debt of gratitude to the men and women of our armed forces who risk their lives in the defense of freedom and to secure the blessings of liberty for this nation and other peoples of the world.

PART II

WHEREAS, PFC Odom was a member of the 254th Infantry in the United States Army during World War II; and

WHEREAS, while serving in Germany, he was killed on April 18, 1945; and

PART III

WHEREAS, SFC Bryant H. Roberts was born on January 30, 1920, and served his country in 1942, in the United States Navy aboard the U.S.S. Vincennes during World War II; and

WHEREAS, he made the ultimate sacrifice for his country in the name of freedom for all Americans when he was lost at sea in the line of duty; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners of Berrien County deems it fitting and appropriate to honor the service and sacrifice of SFC Bryant H. Roberts by designating a permanent public memorial near his homeplace.

PART IV

WHEREAS, Fred L. Belcher was born in November, 1919, and was drafted in 1942 to serve his country in the Army Air Force during World War II; and

WHEREAS, he was captured and held as a prisoner of war in Stalog 17B In Kriems, Austria; and

WHEREAS, this great citizen of Berrien County, Georgia, made the ultimate sacrifice while in service to his country and defending it during time of war; and

PART V

WHEREAS, Mr. John Paul Ellis lives in Hopeulikit, Georgia, with his wife, Beatrice B. Ellis; and

WHEREAS, they have operated a grocery business there since the late 1930s; and

WHEREAS, they also ran a farm and raised five children in the community; and

WHEREAS, John Paul was a county commissioner in Bulloch County for approximately 25 years; and

WHEREAS, he was instrumental in obtaining a four-lane road in the county from Hopeulikit to Statesboro; and

WHEREAS, it is only fitting to honor a man who has devoted so much of his time to serving his community and the State of Georgia.

PART VI

WHEREAS, Bill Lowery was a dynamic force in the music industry in Georgia for many years; and

WHEREAS, Bill Lowery, through his music publishing and recording company, the Lowery Group, recorded songs for such artists as Brenda Lee, Billy Joe Royal, Joe South, the Atlanta Rhythm Section, and Alicia Bridges; and

WHEREAS, he was a recognized genius in identifying musical talent and recognizing hit music; and

WHEREAS, he was the first non-performer to be inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper to dedicate the section of Clairmont Road between Buford Highway and Century Plaza Parkway in DeKalb County as the Bill Lowery Parkway as an appropriate tribute to this giant of the music industry in Georgia.

PART VII

WHEREAS, Carl Kelly began his military career by joining the Jackson National Guard, then called the Jackson Rifles, while he was still in his teens; and

WHEREAS, when WWII started, the Jackson National Guard was called upon to train for the war in Europe and Carl Kelly was promoted to 1st Sergeant before he left for Ireland to wait for the invasion at Normandy; and

WHEREAS, in St-Lo, France, he was wounded in action and awarded the first of his two bronze stars for gallantry and a Purple Heart; and

WHEREAS, when the Korean Conflict began, Sgt. Kelly was immediately sent to Korea where he was awarded a battlefield commission to 2nd Lieutenant after distinguishing himself as a leader of men; and

WHEREAS, after recuperating from a wound, he returned to battle and soon after was involved in a battle to save an artillery unit that had been ambushed; Lt. Kelly organized the artillerymen into fighting groups and with complete disregard for his safety, led attack after attack on the enemy forces; and

WHEREAS, his conspicuous actions served to center the enemy fire on himself, and finally he was struck by enemy fire and fell mortally wounded; and

WHEREAS, before he died he told a friend to tell his wife and children that he loved them very much and would see them in Heaven someday; and

WHEREAS, Lt. Kelly was in the military service for 11 years and received three Purple Hearts, three Bronze Stars, and a Silver Star, as well as many other service medals.

PART VIII

WHEREAS, Emmett Henry Austin was born January 28, 1906, in Douglas County, Georgia; and

WHEREAS, on October 14, 1923, he married Lena Mae Croker of Paulding County and they then moved to Powder Springs, Georgia, where they resided until their deaths; and
WHEREAS, he sharecropped for a few years and in 1932 helped hang electrical wiring and motors when Clark Thread Company built Clarkdale Mills; and

WHEREAS, in 1935 he helped build the bridge and Highway 278 into Powder Springs and in 1938 the Highway 92 bridge in Hiram; and

WHEREAS, when the new REA was established in 1936, he worked with Glen Florence and Roy Richards to string the first wire for the community; and

WHEREAS, over the next several years he wired farmhouses too numerous to mention with the help of his 11 year-old son; and

WHEREAS, when 220 volt power became available, he rewired many of these same houses; and

WHEREAS, over his career he was an experienced electrician, plumber, mechanic, and highway and bridge builder; and

WHEREAS, he raised eight children, 16 grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren, many of whom still live in the Powder Springs/Cobb County area.

PART IX

WHEREAS, Mr. Ralph Lively came into this world on Independence Day, July 4, 1910, in Carroll County, Georgia, and was the son of the late Richard Alvin and Susan Smith Lively; and

WHEREAS, he was preceded in death by his wife, Carrie, with whom he shared 64 years of wonderful marriage; and

WHEREAS, he was known throughout his life for his industry and honest work ethic, and he transported mail during World War II and was a valued employee of the Bell Bomber Company; and

WHEREAS, he started the R.A. Lively Bus Line, retired from the Georgia Department of Agriculture, and worked at the Georgia General Assembly for 27 years as the personal aide to Speaker of the House Thomas B. Murphy; and

WHEREAS, he touched the hearts and lives of everyone he met and was esteemed throughout the General Assembly as a dedicated worker and a gentleman of unimpeachable character; and

WHEREAS, he was a successful gardener who won a blue ribbon for his roses at the Tallapoosa Garden Club Flower Show; and

WHEREAS, he is survived by his many wonderful children and their spouses, E.D. and Labera Lively, Dolores and Herbert Newman, Reita and Bill Mendum, Alton and Shelby Lively, Mack and Shelby Lively, Jack and Margaret Lively; 17 grandchildren; 38 great-grandchildren; and six great-great grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, he was a faithful member of Tallapoosa First Baptist Church and belonged to Masonic Lodge No. 126; and

WHEREAS, Georgia has lost one of its most distinguished citizens with the unfortunate passing of Ralph Lively and it is only fitting that a lasting memorial to his well-lived life should be created.

PART X

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that the members of this body dedicate the Hardy Creek Bridge on US 82, in Berrien County, as the POW Julian Abel Memorial Bridge.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body dedicate the Five Mile Creek Bridge on SR 168, in Berrien County, as the PFC Elwood W. Odom Memorial Bridge

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body dedicate the Ten Mile Creek Bridge on SR 168 near Nashville in Berrien County as the MIA/KIA Bryant H. Roberts, SFC Memorial Bridge.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body dedicate the Withlacoochee River Bridge on SR 76 west of Nashville, in Berrien County, as the POW Fred L. Belcher Memorial Bridge.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body dedicate the portion of US 80/SR 26 from Portal to Hopeulikit, in Bulloch County, as the John Paul Ellis Highway.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body dedicate the portion of Clairmont Road between Buford Highway and Century Plaza Parkway in DeKalb County as the Bill Lowery Parkway.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the portion of SR 16 East from the railroad tracks to the Jackson city limits, in Butts County, be dedicated as the Lt. Carl Kelly Memorial Highway.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Powder Creek Bridge on C. H. James Parkway (SR 6/U.S. 278) between Powder Springs-Dallas Road and Hill Road, in Cobb County, be dedicated as the Emmett Henry Austin Memorial Bridge.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this body dedicate the portion of US 78 from the US 27 bypass in Bremen, Georgia, to Pine Grove Road, west of Bremen, in Haralson County, as the Ralph Lively Memorial Highway.

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 Julian Abel, to the family of PFC Elwood W. Odom, to the family of Bryant H. Roberts, to the family of Fred L. Belcher, to John Paul Ellis, to the family of Bill Lowery, to the family of Lt. Carl Kelly, to the family of Emmett Henry Austin, and to the family of Ralph Lively.