---
title: HR 1063. Henderson, Chief Gordon; honoring the life and dedicated service; condolences
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hr1063
cite_as: HR 1063, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1063
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1063.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1063/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72412
date: 2026-01-27
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1062.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1064.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 131
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1063.md?full=1
bill_number: HR 1063
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2026-01-27
last_action: House Read and Adopted
sponsors:
  - Katie Dempsey
  - Shaw Blackmon
  - Eddie Lumsden
  - Matt Barton
  - Bill Hitchens
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1063/2025
upstream_id: 2095300
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - firefighters
  - Rome-Floyd Fire Department
  - legislative tribute
  - fire safety training
---

# HR 1063. Henderson, Chief Gordon; honoring the life and dedicated service; condolences

## Text

House Resolution 1063
By: Representatives Dempsey of the 13th, Blackmon of the 146th, Lumsden of the 12th, Barton
of the 5th, and Hitchens of the 161st
A RESOLUTION
Commending and honoring the life and dedicated service of Chief Gordon Henderson; and
for other purposes.
WHEREAS, Mr. Charles “Gordon” Henderson, age 75, of Stockbridge, Georgia, passed
away Friday, September, 5, 2025, leaving behind a legacy of dedicated service spanning
nearly five decades; and
WHEREAS, Chief Henderson, a native of the “Georgia Model Community” in Rome,
Georgia, was a veteran of the Rome-Floyd Fire Department, where he began his career on
November 2, 1975, and steadily rose through the ranks, serving as caption at Station One,
being promoted to deputy chief in 1988, and leading the department with distinction as chief
until his retirement on January 1, 2015; and
WHEREAS, his leadership was instrumental in the department, as noted by current Rome-
Floyd Fire Chief Troy Brock and retired Battalion Chief Phil Langston, who recalls Chief
Henderson’s key role in securing the land for the Firefighters Memorial in Rome; and
WHEREAS, Chief Henderson served as president of the Georgia State firefighters
Association from 2000 to 2002, as a district vice president for the Georgia Association of fire
Chiefs, and held multiple leadership roles within the National Fire Protection Association,
including serving as principal member of the national professional qualifications committee
for firefighters; and
WHEREAS, following his retirement from the Rome-Floyd Fire Department, Chief
Henderson continued to serve the fire profession statewide as executive Director of the
Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council, a role he held from 2015 to 2022,
ensuring compliance with all regulations and collaborating with officials and fire service
organizations throughout Georgia; and
WHEREAS, Director Gordon Henderson was succeeded in the Georgia Firefighter Standards
and Training Council by Executive Director Randy Toms, who recognizes the legacy left for
him to follow; and
WHEREAS, Chief Gordon Henderson is survived by his loving wife, Dawn Traylor
Henderson; his children, Jason and Kimbell; five grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and
four brothers.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that
the members of this body extend the deepest sympathies to the family of Chief Gordon
Henderson, as well as honor and commed his many years of exemplary service and
outstanding contributions to the fire serive and the citizens of Georgia.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Chief
Gordon Henderson.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary.

A Georgia House resolution honors the life and nearly five-decade fire service career of Chief Gordon Henderson of Rome, Georgia, who died in September 2025, and offers condolences to his family.

### Plain-language summary

This is a commemorative resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives, not a change to state law. It recounts the career of Chief Charles "Gordon" Henderson, who served the Rome-Floyd Fire Department for nearly 40 years, rising from firefighter in 1975 to fire chief before retiring in 2015, and who later led the Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council from 2015 to 2022.
The resolution formally expresses the House's sympathy to Henderson's family, including his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchild, following his death on September 5, 2025. It also honors his statewide leadership roles in firefighting organizations. The resolution directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy for distribution to the family as a keepsake; it does not create, amend, or repeal any Georgia statute.

### What it does

- Formally commends and honors the career and service of Chief Gordon Henderson of the Rome-Floyd Fire Department.
- Extends the House of Representatives' sympathies to Henderson's surviving family members.
- Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to the family.
- Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory change since it is a commemorative resolution rather than a bill amending the Georgia Code.

### Who it affects

The resolution directly names Chief Gordon Henderson's family, including his wife, children, and grandchildren, as well as the Rome-Floyd Fire Department, the Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council, and Georgia's broader firefighting community that Henderson served.

### Why it matters

While it does not change any law, the resolution provides an official, permanent legislative record recognizing Henderson's decades of public service in firefighting and fire safety training, giving his family a formal document of appreciation from the state legislature.

### Key provisions

- The resolution recites Henderson's career history, from joining the Rome-Floyd Fire Department in 1975 to becoming chief and retiring in 2015.
- It notes his later role as Executive Director of the Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council from 2015 to 2022.
- It resolves that the House extends sympathies to his family and honors his service to the fire service and citizens of Georgia.
- It directs the Clerk of the House to make a copy available for distribution to the family.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-01-27)
- Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-01-27)
- Sponsors: Katie Dempsey, Shaw Blackmon, Eddie Lumsden, Matt Barton, Bill Hitchens
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72412

> The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1063.md?full=1