[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 23473-23474]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING BEN G. PORTER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM MARSHALL

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 1, 2009

  Mr. MARSHALL. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today to honor 
one of Macon,

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Georgia's great citizens, Ben G. Porter, someone who has worked 
tirelessly to improve the quality of life in Middle Georgia and 
throughout the State of Georgia.
  Ben and his wife Hazel have lived in Macon for over 50 years. He is 
an avid outdoorsman and his passion for the natural beauty of our land 
punctuates his business and charitable endeavors. As a former Chairman 
of the Board of Georgia's Department of Natural Resources, Ben 
advocated for the conservation and preservation of our natural and 
cultural resources so that current and future generations can take 
pleasure in the unique history, diversity and great beauty found in 
every region of our state. As a founder and member of the Ocmulgee Land 
Trust, as Chairman of the Jekyll Island Authority as well as in his 
service on the Advisory Council of the Trust for Public Land, Ben 
actively encourages property owners across our nation to conserve and 
protect land that has natural, recreational, scenic, historic, or 
productive value.
  In his hometown of Macon, Ben Porter's vision and leadership has 
anchored a number of organizations including the Chamber of Commerce, 
where he served a term as President, the Macon Heritage Foundation and 
Mercer University's School of Medicine, where he currently serves on 
the Board of Governors. But, his most lasting and--I believe he would 
say--his proudest accomplishment in Macon is the leadership he provided 
along with a handful of others in the creation of the Ocmulgee Heritage 
Trail. More than 15 years ago, Ben and a small group of civic and 
public leaders in Macon began to envision a walking trail that would 
connect some of Macon's historical and cultural gems--the Ocmulgee 
National Monument, Rose Hill Cemetery and the historic water treatment 
facility--to its great natural asset and the lifeblood of our 
community, the Ocmulgee River. What made this idea special was the 
reason behind it: most of the land abutting the Ocmulgee River in Macon 
was owned by private citizens and therefore not accessible to the 
public. There were few places where the everyday person in Macon could 
touch the river, could sit beside it in quiet contemplation or enjoy 
the beauty of its banks. The gift of river access to the Ocmulgee River 
is the enduring legacy that Ben has helped to give to the citizens of 
Macon. Today, the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail extends 10 miles, but Ben 
Porter and the other leaders of the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail executive 
board dream big, and eventually the Trail will connect landmarks and 
towns throughout Middle Georgia.
  I'd like to close my comments today on a personal note. I have known 
Ben for many years in both a professional and personal capacity. Ben is 
a man of faith, a generous giver, a caring mentor and an exceptional 
visionary whose perseverance and quiet yet influential leadership style 
has been an example to us all. He is savvy, strong and involved. And he 
is someone I am proud to call a friend.
  Please join me in celebrating the life and legacy of Ben G. Porter, a 
great and influential citizen of Macon, Georgia.

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