Drew Ferguson: “I thank my colleague, Representative Carter from Georgia's First District, for organizing this hour to honor one of…”

“I thank my colleague, Representative Carter from Georgia's First District, for organizing this hour to honor one of Georgia's great leaders, former United States Senator and Georgia Governor Zell Miller. Governor Miller's leadership in our State led to the creation of something that we hold near and dear to our hearts, and that is the HOPE Scholarship. This scholarship program has helped generations of young Georgians build a bright future for themselves, and that, in turn, has led to a stronger State for our people. In addition to the HOPE Scholarship and many other policy accomplishments, Governor Miller truly embodied the term ``public servant.'' He devoted his life to serving our fellow Georgians and sought to leave our State better than he found it. At his funeral, Governor Miller's grandson read a list of 14 life lessons that the Governor had written to mark his 70th birthday. This list included a number of important lessons that he wanted to pass along to his family and to others, and it included such things as reminding folks not to smoke, that it killed his friends way too early. It reminded people to be polite, to be on time. One of the lessons that struck me in particular and I think really describes how Zell Miller sought to live his life reads this: Search for your niche. It may take years, although often it occurs early in life. There is something out there that you can do better and easier than everybody else.…”