[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 84 (Monday, May 20, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2960-S2961]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO TOM LEWIS

 Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, today, I am honored to recognize 
in the Record Mr. Tom Lewis of Atlanta, GA, the senior adviser to the 
president of Georgia State University. Tom has announced he will retire 
in June after 28 years of service to the school.
  Tom Lewis has built a strong legacy in our State and Federal 
Government, as well as in higher education. Early on, he learned the 
value of public service from his parents, Eleanor and Carlton Lewis. 
While he was a student at Georgia Southern University, he spent time 
here in the Senate as an intern for the venerable Senator Richard B. 
Russell of Georgia. Upon his graduation from the university, he worked 
on the campaign of then-Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter of Plains, 
GA, who was subsequently elected to the office of U.S. President.
  Next, Tom set out to make a difference in our State government as 
executive director of the Georgia Franchise Practices Commission from 
1974 to 1978. Later, while he was executive vice president of the 
Bartow County Chamber of Commerce, Tom met and befriended State 
legislator Joe Frank Harris of Cartersville, GA, and his wife 
Elizabeth. That friendship turned into a trusted bond, and when Joe 
Frank Harris set out to become Governor of Georgia, Tom joined his 
campaign as an adviser and served in several roles in Harris's 
administration, including as chief of staff from 1986 to 1991.
  I got to know Tom while I was also serving in the Georgia General 
Assembly, and he was always someone who you could count on and trust. 
When he went on to Georgia State University, he left his mark there, 
advancing the school's interests, creating new opportunities, and 
helping Georgia State University grow in the early years and then 
absolutely take off. The Washington Post has called Georgia State 
University a ``hotbed of growth and innovation.'' This and many of its 
other well-earned accolades are due not only to a serious and active 
student body, but also thanks to the long-term planning and constant 
efforts of great leaders like Tom Lewis.
  In addition to his accomplishments spanning decades and touching 
countless lives, Tom and his wife Patty are the parents of three 
children, Wes, Ellen, and Shannon. His five grandchildren, Wesley 
Claire, Leighton, Will, Nate, and Jacks will surely benefit from Tom's 
retirement. I have a strong suspicion that his home community of 
Cartersville, GA, will benefit from the additional time he is able to 
spend in town, too.
  As Tom and Patty prepare for this new chapter, I wish them and their 
families all the best. I offer my deepest gratitude for their 
friendship and work on behalf of our State.

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