--- title: HR 427. Dr. Esco Hall, Jr. Highway; Appling County; dedicate collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr427 cite_as: HR 427, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr427 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr427.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr427/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70942 date: 2025-03-03 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-12 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/hr426.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr428.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr427.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 427 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-27 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - William Werkheiser - Steven Meeks text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR427/2025 upstream_id: 1987870 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - highway dedication - Appling County - veterinary medicine history - Georgia House resolution --- # HR 427. Dr. Esco Hall, Jr. Highway; Appling County; dedicate ## Text House Resolution 427 By: Representatives Werkheiser of the 157th and Meeks of the 178th A RESOLUTION Honoring the life of Dr. Esco Hall, Jr., and dedicating a road in his memory; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Dr. Esco Hall, Jr., was born into a sharecropping family in Wheeler County, Georgia, and graduated as valedictorian of his 1966 class at Wheeler County High School; and WHEREAS, Dr. Hall's love of agriculture began at a young age through his involvement with the New Farmer's Association and Future Farmer's Association, leading him to become one of the first two black students to graduate with a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Georgia in 1973; and WHEREAS, he served counties across southeast Georgia as a large and small animal veterinarian for over 46 years as the sole proprietor of Appling Animal Hospital; and WHEREAS, Dr. Hall made history once again in 1982 by being elected the first black city councilmember of Baxley City Council, a post he held for 36 years until his untimely passing in 2019; and WHEREAS, he diligently and conscientiously devoted innumerable hours of his time, talents, and energy toward the betterment of his community and state as evidenced dramatically by his superlative service as mayor pro tem for the last 12 years of his service on the city council; and WHEREAS, Dr. Hall embodied the spirit of service and it is abundantly fitting and proper that this remarkable and distinguished Georgian be recognized appropriately by dedicating a road in his memory. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AND ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that the portion of State Route 15 from mile point 76.17 to 76.716 in Appling County is dedicated as the Dr. Esco Hall, Jr. Highway. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is authorized and directed to erect and maintain appropriate signs dedicating the Dr. Esco Hall, Jr. Highway. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the family of Dr. Esco Hall, Jr., and to the Department of Transportation. ## 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 would honor the late Dr. Esco Hall, Jr. by naming a stretch of State Route 15 in Appling County the Dr. Esco Hall, Jr. Highway. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives recognizes the life and public service of Dr. Esco Hall, Jr., a veterinarian and longtime Baxley City Council member who died in 2019. It recounts his upbringing in a sharecropping family in Wheeler County, his path to becoming one of the first two Black graduates of the University of Georgia's veterinary medicine doctoral program, his 46 years running Appling Animal Hospital, and his 36 years on the Baxley City Council, including 12 years as mayor pro tem. The operative part of the resolution dedicates the portion of State Route 15 between mile point 76.17 and 76.716 in Appling County as the Dr. Esco Hall, Jr. Highway. It directs the Georgia Department of Transportation to erect and maintain signs marking the dedication, and it directs the Clerk of the House to send copies of the resolution to Dr. Hall's family and to the department. ### What it does - Dedicates the stretch of State Route 15 from mile point 76.17 to 76.716 in Appling County as the Dr. Esco Hall, Jr. Highway. - Directs the Georgia Department of Transportation to erect and maintain signs marking the highway dedication. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to distribute copies of the resolution to Dr. Hall's family and the Department of Transportation. ### Who it affects The resolution mainly affects the Georgia Department of Transportation, which must install and maintain signage, and Appling County residents and travelers on that segment of State Route 15. It also honors Dr. Esco Hall, Jr.'s family and the Baxley community. ### Why it matters If adopted, drivers on that stretch of State Route 15 would see new signage naming the road after Dr. Hall, giving a lasting public marker of his career as a veterinarian and Baxley city councilmember. The change is symbolic and does not alter traffic rules or funding. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe Dr. Hall's background, veterinary career, and 36 years of service on the Baxley City Council, including 12 years as mayor pro tem. - The first resolving clause dedicates State Route 15 from mile point 76.17 to 76.716 in Appling County as the Dr. Esco Hall, Jr. Highway. - The second resolving clause directs the Department of Transportation to erect and maintain appropriate signs for the dedication. - The final resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to Dr. Hall's family and the Department of Transportation. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-02-27) - Last action: House Second Readers (2025-03-03) - Sponsors: William Werkheiser, Steven Meeks - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70942 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr427.md?full=1