--- title: HR 621. Rosa T. Beard Debutante Club; 60th Cotillion; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr621 cite_as: HR 621, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr621 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr621.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr621/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71441 date: 2025-03-18 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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/hr620.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr622.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr621.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 621 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-18 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Karlton Howard - Lynn Heffner - Brian Prince - L.C. Myles text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR621/2025 upstream_id: 2010584 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Augusta community organizations - ceremonial resolutions - Georgia House of Representatives - civic recognition --- # HR 621. Rosa T. Beard Debutante Club; 60th Cotillion; commend ## Text 25 LC 112 3420 House Resolution 621 By: Representatives Howard of the 129th, Heffner of the 130th, Prince of the 132nd, and Myles of the 126th A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending the Rosa T. Beard Debutante Club on its 60th Cotillion; and1 for other purposes.2 WHEREAS, the Rosa T. Beard Debutante Club was founded in 1963 w hen six female3 students at Augustus R. Johnson Junior High School approached their science teacher, Mrs.4 Rosa Tarver Beard, to sponsor them in developing into distinguished young women; and5 WHEREAS, a master educator and community leader, Mrs. Rosa Tarver Beard dedicated 416 years to education, beginning her career at Bettis Academy and Junior College in Trenton,7 South Carolina, before continuing in Augusta at C. T. Walker El ementary, A. R. Johnson8 Junior High School, and T. W. Josey High School; and9 WHEREAS, the Augusta Adult Society was created to present the f irst Cotillion, and on10 February 24, 1965, nine debutantes and six sub-debutantes were formally introduced to11 society at the National Guard Armory; and12 WHEREAS, the Rosa T. Beard Debutante Club formalized its identity in the 1970s, adopting13 the name "The Debutante Club," the colors navy and white, and its slogan, "As a debutante,14 I will be a phantom of the night, who walks in beauty like the night"; and15 H. R. 621 - 1 - 25 LC 112 3420 WHEREAS, as Augusta's high schools integrated in the 1970s, the club expanded its reach,16 and by the 1980s and 1990s, membership grew exponentially, culm inating in a record 7217 debutantes in 1988; and18 WHEREAS, the organization has since upheld a tradition of excel lence, establishing key19 honors such as "Miss Cotillion" in 1970, "Miss Cooperative" in 1986, "Founder's Award" in20 1993, and "Mr. Escort" in 1993; and21 WHEREAS, in celebration of its 50th anniversary, the organization was incorporated on Mrs.22 Beard's birthdate, November 22, 2013, and in 2014, her daughter, Reverend Cheryl Beard,23 became CEO; and24 WHEREAS, the club continues to empower young Black men and wome n through25 leadership development, social and cultural enrichment, civic e ngagement, and service26 opportunities, making it abundantly fitting and proper that it be appropriately honored during27 this special time.28 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that29 the members of this body recognize and commend the Rosa T. Beard Debutante Club upon30 its 60th Cotillion and extend best wishes for continued success.31 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized32 and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the33 Rosa T. Beard Debutante Club.34 H. R. 621 - 2 - ## 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 formally commends the Rosa T. Beard Debutante Club of Augusta on its 60th Cotillion, marking the organization's long history in the community. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a ceremonial statement from the Georgia House of Representatives honoring the Rosa T. Beard Debutante Club, founded in 1963 by six students at Augustus R. Johnson Junior High School with their science teacher, Mrs. Rosa Tarver Beard. The resolution recounts the club's history, including its first Cotillion in 1965, its formal naming and traditions in the 1970s, its growth through the 1980s and 1990s, and its incorporation in 2013 on Mrs. Beard's birthday. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It simply has the House of Representatives recognize and commend the club on its 60th Cotillion and directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to the club. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends the Rosa T. Beard Debutante Club on its 60th Cotillion. - Extends the House of Representatives' best wishes to the club for continued success. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to the club. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement; it is purely a ceremonial statement. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names the Rosa T. Beard Debutante Club, based in Augusta, and its leadership, including CEO Reverend Cheryl Beard. It has no legal effect on any other group of Georgians. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or financial consequences for Georgians. Its significance is symbolic: it places an official House commendation on record honoring a long-running Augusta community organization and its founder, Mrs. Rosa Tarver Beard. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses recount the club's 1963 founding and its founder Mrs. Rosa Tarver Beard's 41-year education career in Augusta. - The whereas clauses describe the first Cotillion in 1965 and the club's formal naming and traditions adopted in the 1970s. - The resolving clause has the House recognize and commend the club on its 60th Cotillion and wish it continued success. - A further resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House to make a copy available for distribution to the club. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-18) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-03-18) - Sponsors: Karlton Howard, Lynn Heffner, Brian Prince, L.C. Myles - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71441 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr621.md?full=1