--- title: HR 907. Shepherd, Archie S.; condolences collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr907 cite_as: HR 907, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr907 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr907.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr907/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72010 date: 2025-04-02 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/hr906.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr908.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr907.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 907 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-04-02 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Sharon Henderson - Karen Lupton - Carl Gilliard text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR907/2025 upstream_id: 2019448 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - memorial resolution - civil rights - Newton County - community service --- # HR 907. Shepherd, Archie S.; condolences ## Text 25 LC 112 3622 House Resolution 907 By: Representatives Henderson of the 113th, Lupton of the 83rd, and Gilliard of the 162nd A RESOLUTION Honoring the life and memory of Archie S. Shepherd; and for other purposes.1 WHEREAS, a native of Covington, Georgia, Archie S. Shepherd devoted decades of his life2 to advocacy, civil rights, and community service, greatly impacting the citizens of Newton3 County through his enduring commitment to social justice; and4 WHEREAS, his leadership within the Newton County NAACP included serving as President5 from 1998 to 2006 and Chairperson of the Legal Redress Committe e from 2006 to 2014,6 earning him honors such as the 2004 Humanitarian Award and a pr oclamation declaring7 November 17, 2006, as "Archie Shepherd Day" in recognition of his dedication; and8 WHEREAS, he significantly impacted the youth of Newton County through his founding of9 the Sam McLurkin Council #75, Order of the Knights of Pythagora s, in 2008, providing10 mentorship and leadership development opportunities; and11 WHEREAS, he further expanded his community advocacy in March 2015 by organizing and12 serving as President of the Newton County Chapter of the National Action Network (NAN),13 for which he received the Dorothy Irene Height Trailblazer Awar d for Social Justice in14 November 2015; and15 H. R. 907 - 1 - 25 LC 112 3622 WHEREAS, his exemplary involvement with Prince Hall Masonic Fri endship Lodge #2016 spanned over 50 years of distinguished service as member and Past Worshipful Master, for17 which he received awards such as the Outstanding Service Award, Longevity Award, and18 the Purple Jacket marking his 50-year milestone; and19 WHEREAS, his contributions to the community also included ten years of dedicated service20 on the Medical Board of the Willing Helpers Medical Clinic, ser vice on the City of21 Covington Housing Board of Adjustments and Appeals, active participation on the Northeast22 Georgia Aging Services Advisory Council Board, and advocacy for workers as Chief Union23 Steward of Local #42 AFL-CIO-CLC; and24 WHEREAS, he was a person of magnanimous strengths with an unimpeachable reputation25 for integrity, intelligence, fairness, and kindness, and by the example he made of his life, he26 made this world a better place in which to live; and27 WHEREAS, a compassionate and generous man, Archie S. Shepherd w ill long be28 remembered for his love of family, friendship, and community and will be missed by all who29 had the great fortune of knowing him.30 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that31 the members of this body join in honoring the life and memory of Archie S. Shepherd and32 express their deepest and most sincere regret at his passing.33 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized34 and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the35 family of Archie S. Shepherd.36 H. R. 907 - 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 honors the life of Archie S. Shepherd, a longtime Newton County civil rights leader and community advocate who died, and directs a copy be sent to his family. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a formal statement from the Georgia House of Representatives honoring the memory of Archie S. Shepherd of Covington, Georgia. It recounts his decades of civil rights and community service, including his leadership of the Newton County NAACP, his founding of a youth mentorship group, his work with the National Action Network, over 50 years with a Masonic lodge, and service on several local boards and a labor union. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It simply expresses the House's condolences and respect for Shepherd's life and directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy of the resolution for delivery to his family. ### What it does - Formally states that House members join in honoring the life and memory of Archie S. Shepherd and express regret at his passing. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Shepherd's family. - Recounts Shepherd's decades of civil rights work, community service, and leadership roles as the basis for the honor. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names Archie S. Shepherd's family, who will receive the official copy, and the Clerk of the House, who must prepare it. It also reflects on organizations he served, including the Newton County NAACP, the National Action Network, and a Masonic lodge. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or financial effect and changes no Georgia law. Its significance is symbolic: it creates an official legislative record recognizing Shepherd's community contributions and provides his family with a formal keepsake from the state legislature. ### Key provisions - The 'WHEREAS' clauses detail Shepherd's roles, including Newton County NAACP president from 1998 to 2006 and legal redress chairperson from 2006 to 2014. - The resolution notes he founded the Sam McLurkin Council #75, Order of the Knights of Pythagoras, in 2008 for youth mentorship. - It cites his 50-plus years with the Prince Hall Masonic Friendship Lodge #20 and various service awards he received. - The resolved clause has the House officially honor his memory and express condolences. - A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute a copy of the resolution to his family. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-04-02) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-04-02) - Sponsors: Sharon Henderson, Karen Lupton, Carl Gilliard - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72010 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr907.md?full=1