Sanford Bishop: “I thank the gentleman from the First District of Georgia for yielding to me and for hosting this Special Order to honor…”

“I thank the gentleman from the First District of Georgia for yielding to me and for hosting this Special Order to honor my friend and mentor, Zell Miller. Mr. Speaker, Zell Miller was a titan in Georgia, the man that I was humbled and honored to call a friend and a mentor. He was an extraordinary statesman, a true public servant. He served as a sergeant in the Marines, the mayor of Young Harris, a Georgia State senator, Lieutenant Governor, Governor, and U.S. Senator for the State of Georgia. Now, as a newly elected State representative of the 94th district of Georgia in 1977, I had very little to do at the State capitol after the session ended and my committee meetings were over. Somehow, I found myself hanging out in the office of the Lieutenant Governor, where his press secretary was from my hometown of Columbus, who was on loan from the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer to serve Lieutenant Governor. I got to know Zell. I got to learn from his example. And from him, I even developed an appreciation for country music. I witnessed in Zell Miller a public servant with extraordinary integrity, courage, and character. {time} 1830 Fourteen years later, he became Governor, and I became a member of the Georgia State Senate. In that term as a State senator, I was appointed to be the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Education, K-12 Subcommittee, and I got to work very closely with Zell Miller because, after all, he was the education Governor.…”