[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 3 (Tuesday, January 8, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E16]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN HONOR OF GEORGIA STATE REPRESENTATIVE ROBERT ``BOB'' PAUL HANNER, 
                                  SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 8, 2019

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and 
solemn remembrance that I rise today to pay tribute to a remarkable 
statesman, public servant, Georgia State Representative, and friend of 
longstanding--Mr. Robert ``Bob'' Paul Hanner, Sr. Sadly, Representative 
Hanner passed away on Wednesday, January 2, 2019. His passing marks the 
close of a long and prolific life, and his departure leaves a void in 
the hearts of many Georgians. A funeral service for Representative 
Hanner was held on Saturday, January 5, 2019, at First Baptist Church 
of Dawson in Dawson, Georgia.
  Robert Paul Hanner, Sr. was born in Americus, Georgia on April 19, 
1945, to the union of the late Jack and Yip Hanner. A product of 
Georgia's educational systems, he attended Parrott Grammar School and 
Terrell High School before graduating from both Gordon Military College 
in Barnesville and Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus. 
He served his country honorably in the U.S. Coast Guard in Vietnam from 
1967 to 1968.
  In 1975, Bob was elected to the Georgia General Assembly, where he 
served until 2013, and represented House District 148, which included 
portions of Chattahoochee, Quitman, Lee, Terrell, Webster, and Stewart 
counties. During his 38 year tenure, he served as a member of the House 
Appropriations Committee, Rules Committee, Natural Resources and 
Environment Committee, Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, 
Chairman of the Reapportionment Committee, and Chairman of the Game, 
and Fish and Parks Committee. He also served as Co-Chair of the State-
wide Water Management Commission. Bob served as Co-Chair of the Joint 
Blue Ribbon Study Commission on State Government Decentralization and 
the Joint Comprehensive Water Study Committee. He also worked with the 
Agriculture Water branch of the Georgia Environmental Protection 
Division.
  His contribution to agriculture and the environment is memorialized 
in the Hooks-Hanner Environmental Resource Center which was established 
through the legislative efforts of Bob and his longtime Southwest 
Georgia legislative partner, State Senator George Hooks. The name of 
the Center honors their legacy of service to Georgia agriculture and 
the environment.
  Bob's community involvement included membership in the Dawson Lion's 
Club, the P.T. Schley Lodge No. 229, the Terrell County Chamber of 
Commerce, as well as Vice President of both the Georgia and local 
chapters of Jaycees.
  Bob accomplished much throughout his life, but none of this would 
have been possible without his enduring faith in God and the love and 
support of his wife, Linda; his three sons, Robert Jr., Jeff, and Matt; 
and his two grandsons.
  On a personal note, Bob and I served under him in the State House 
together and I was blessed with his friendship, counsel, and support 
over the years. His help with my initial campaign and subsequent 
reelection campaigns for Congress were pivotal. Bob was truly a great 
representative for Southwest Georgia and a stellar example of how a 
public servant should serve his constituents. His leadership will be 
sorely missed.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife, Vivian, and me, 
along with the more than 730,000 residents of Georgia's Second 
Congressional District, in paying tribute to State Representative 
Robert ``Bob'' Paul Hanner, Sr. for his remarkable leadership in our 
great State of Georgia and in extending our deepest sympathies to his 
family, friends and, loved ones during this difficult time of 
bereavement. Moreover, we pray that they will be consoled and comforted 
by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks, and months 
ahead.

                          ____________________