John Rice Carter: “It is with great pleasure that I rise today to honor a man who has dedicated his life to a better Georgia and a better…”

“It is with great pleasure that I rise today to honor a man who has dedicated his life to a better Georgia and a better United States: Robert Hamilton Hurt. Bob Hurt is retiring this year, but his legacy will last generations. You would be hard-pressed to find a better adviser, more loyal friend, or hardworking foot soldier for every cause to which he has dedicated himself than Bob Hurt. This includes his commitment to his lovely wife, Virginia, and daughters Emma and Louisa, who are daily witnesses to Bob's unwavering support. Bob is a proud graduate of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, where he studied history. During this time reporting for and serving as editor for the campus newspaper, The Cluster, Bob both covered and advocated for the school's desegregation. After graduating, Bob cashed in on a couple of summers interning for the Atlanta Constitution to score a full-time job reporting for the paper. That career was put on hold as Bob was commissioned as an officer for the United States Army through Mercer's ROTC program and was then called to defend our Nation in Vietnam. While in Vietnam, he served as an Army infantryman and military intelligence officer with the 173rd Airborne Brigade and with the 5th Special Forces, more commonly called the Green Berets.…”