[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15681]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING FIVE MACON GEORGIA GREAT CITIZENS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM MARSHALL

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 14, 2010

  Mr. MARSHALL. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today to honor 
five of Macon, Georgia's great citizens: R. Kirby Godsey, Robert F. 
Hatcher, the late William S. Hutchings, the late Charles H. Jones, and 
Juanita T. Jordan. Each has earned the respect and admiration of 
Central Georgians by building coalitions to improve communities and 
institutions throughout the State of Georgia.
  Individually, these citizens of Georgia have accomplished great 
deeds. They have risen to the highest levels of their chosen 
professions and are held in the highest esteem by their colleagues and 
professional organizations. Each has contributed visionary leadership, 
perseverance and untold hours to civic and charitable endeavors,
  These five individuals have also shared a love of their hometown, 
Macon, Georgia and a passion for improving the quality of life and 
economic prosperity of the Central Georgia region. All areas of 
community life in Macon--education, race relations, economic 
development, social services and recreation--have been improved through 
the tireless efforts of these individuals.
  In addition to this group's selfless work as individuals, they also 
achieved great things by working together to help Macon. One of their 
most lasting and important contributions to Macon was their collective 
effort to found and fund NewTown Macon, a non-profit organization 
focused on the revitalization of downtown Macon.
  Macon, Georgia is one of the great cities of the American South. With 
5,500 individual structures and 11 districts listed on the National 
Register of Historic Places, Macon's downtown is a textbook of historic 
architecture. Like many other American cities, however, Macon's 
downtown struggled during the latter part of the twentieth century as 
families and businesses moved to the suburbs. By the mid-1990s, much of 
downtown Macon was shuttered and neglected, and many historic 
properties were in danger of being permanently lost. These five leaders 
recognized that a region cannot escape the fate and reputation of its 
central city, that decaying urban centers limit the growth and 
prosperity of entire regions. They acted decisively to form a public-
private partnership that began changing the face of downtown Macon.
  In the fourteen years since NewTown's founding, more than $350 
million has been invested in downtown and the renaissance of Macon's 
urban center is well underway. Businesses and families are moving back 
downtown, historic properties are being restored to their earlier 
grandeur, and civic pride is growing. I am confident that these 
achievements would not have happened without Kirby Godsey, Bob Hatcher, 
Bill Hutchings, Charlie Jones, and Juanita Jordan's determination and 
leadership. Macon is a better city for their efforts.
  Please join me in thanking these great and influential individuals 
for their contributions to Macon and the State of Georgia.

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