Georgia CommonsHouse · Passed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HR 909: Blackshear, Reverend Franklin D.; condolences
Last action April 2, 2025 · House Read and Adopted
A House resolution honors the life of Reverend Franklin D. Blackshear of Savannah, a longtime educator and pastor, and offers condolences to his family.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the resolution and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
This resolution is a formal statement from the Georgia House of Representatives recognizing Reverend Franklin D. Blackshear, who died after a long career as a Savannah educator and pastor. It recounts his life story: raised in the Cuyler-Brownsville neighborhood, he worked as a math teacher and later a guidance counselor at A. E. Beach High School for 24 years, and he served as pastor of Mt. Tabor Baptist Church for 43 years before retiring as pastor emeritus in 2024. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It formally expresses the House's regret at his passing and directs the Clerk of the House to send a copy of the resolution to his family.
What the bill does
- Formally honors the life and memory of Reverend Franklin D. Blackshear on behalf of the Georgia House of Representatives.
- States the House's regret at his passing, as a symbolic expression rather than a change in law.
- Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and send a copy of the resolution to Blackshear's family.
Who it affects
This resolution directly names Reverend Franklin D. Blackshear's family, who will receive the official copy, and reflects on his impact on the Savannah community, including students at A. E. Beach High School and members of Mt. Tabor Baptist Church and First Jerusalem Baptist Church.
Why it matters
The resolution carries no legal or financial effect and changes no Georgia statute. Its significance is symbolic: it places an official record of Reverend Blackshear's decades of service to Savannah's schools and churches into the House's proceedings and gives his family a formal memorial from the state legislature.
Key provisions
- The whereas clauses recount Blackshear's biography, including his 24 years as a guidance counselor at A. E. Beach High School and 43 years as pastor of Mt. Tabor Baptist Church.
- The first resolving clause has the House join in honoring his life and expressing regret at his passing.
- The second resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House to make a copy available to his family.
From the bill
“the members of this body join in honoring the life and memory of Reverend Franklin D. Blackshear and express their deepest and most sincere regret at his passing.”
Status timeline
- House Read and Adopted (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Carl Gilliard (D, HD-162)
Topics
- condolence resolution
- Savannah
- education
- clergy