--- title: SR 1002. Neva Langley Fickling Memorial Highway; Monroe County; dedicate collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr1002 cite_as: SR 1002, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1002 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1002.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1002/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74311 date: 2026-03-20 status: introduced 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/sr1001.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1003.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 95 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1002.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 1002 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-19 last_action: Senate Read and Referred sponsors: - Steven McNeel - Ricky Williams text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR1002/2025 upstream_id: 2136370 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - highway dedication - Monroe County - Miss America - Georgia history - state resolutions --- # SR 1002. Neva Langley Fickling Memorial Highway; Monroe County; dedicate ## Text Senate Resolution 1002 By: Senators McNeel of the 18th and Williams of the 25th A RESOLUTION Honoring the life and memory of Mrs. Neva Jane Langley Fickling and dedicating a road in her memory; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Mrs. Neva Jane Langley Fickling has long been recognized for her musical talent and grace; and WHEREAS, raised in Lakeland, Florida, Mrs. Fickling began playing the piano at the age of seven and studied music at Florida Southern College and Wesleyan College; and WHEREAS, at the age of 19 she won the Miss Macon pageant and went on to win Miss Georgia and Miss America in 1953, holding the prestigious honor of being the only woman to win all three titles; and WHEREAS, after completing her studies at Wesleyan College in 1955, Mrs. Fickling continued sharing her talents on the piano at public performances, including events with the Macon-Wesleyan Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Pops Orchestra; and WHEREAS, she devoted her time and talents to the boards of numerous organizations, including Wesleyan College, Georgia Women of Achievement, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, the Gina Bachauer Piano Competition, Keep America Beautiful Commission, Georgia State Clean Community Commission, the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, the Macon Symphony Orchestra, the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Georgia Council for the Arts; and WHEREAS, Mrs. Fickling played a vital role in saving the Grand Opera House in Macon from demolition through her fundraising and public awareness efforts; and WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that this remarkable and distinguished Georgian be appropriately recognized by dedicating a road in her memory. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AND ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that the portion of State Route 87 from Elbert Jackson Road to Marvin Circle in Monroe County is dedicated as the Neva Langley Fickling Memorial Highway. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is authorized and directed to erect and maintain appropriate signs dedicating the Neva Langley Fickling Memorial Highway. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the family of Mrs. Neva Jane Langley Fickling 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 Senate resolution would name a stretch of State Route 87 in Monroe County the Neva Langley Fickling Memorial Highway, honoring the Macon native who was Miss America 1953. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia General Assembly honors Mrs. Neva Jane Langley Fickling, a pianist and civic figure who won Miss Macon, Miss Georgia, and Miss America in the early 1950s and later served on numerous Georgia arts and preservation boards, including efforts that helped save Macon's Grand Opera House from demolition. The resolution's operative effect is narrow: it designates the portion of State Route 87 between Elbert Jackson Road and Marvin Circle in Monroe County as the Neva Langley Fickling Memorial Highway. It directs the Georgia Department of Transportation to put up and maintain signs marking the dedication, and directs the Secretary of the Senate to send copies of the resolution to Mrs. Fickling's family and to the Department of Transportation. ### What it does - Dedicates the segment of State Route 87 between Elbert Jackson Road and Marvin Circle in Monroe County as the Neva Langley Fickling Memorial Highway. - Directs the Georgia Department of Transportation to erect and maintain signs marking the highway dedication. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to Mrs. Fickling's family and the Department of Transportation. - Recites Mrs. Fickling's biography and civic contributions as the basis for the honorary naming, with no other legal effect. ### Who it affects The Georgia Department of Transportation, which must install and maintain the signage, and residents and travelers on that stretch of State Route 87 in Monroe County. The resolution also formally recognizes the family of Mrs. Neva Jane Langley Fickling. ### Why it matters The change is symbolic rather than regulatory: drivers on that Monroe County stretch of State Route 87 will see new signage honoring a notable Georgian, but the resolution creates no new rules, funding programs, or requirements beyond the sign installation itself. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses summarize Mrs. Fickling's musical career, pageant titles, and service on boards such as the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. - The first resolving clause designates the named portion of State Route 87 in Monroe County as the Neva Langley Fickling Memorial Highway. - The second resolving clause authorizes and directs the Department of Transportation to erect and maintain appropriate signage. - The final resolving clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to Mrs. Fickling's family and the Department of Transportation. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-03-19) - Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-03-20) - Sponsors: Steven McNeel, Ricky Williams - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74311 > The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr1002.md?full=1