--- title: SR 331. Rutledge, Cliff; condolences collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr331 cite_as: SR 331, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr331 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr331.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr331/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71099 date: 2025-03-04 status: passed 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/sr330.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr332.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr331.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 331 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-04 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Ed Harbison - Randy Robertson text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR331/2025 upstream_id: 1990371 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - condolence resolution - Georgia Senate - Columbus Georgia - broadcasting history --- # SR 331. Rutledge, Cliff; condolences ## Text Senate Resolution 331 By: Senators Harbison of the 15th and Robertson of the 29th A RESOLUTION Honoring the life and memory of Cliff Rutledge; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the State of Georgia mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished citizens with the passing of Cliff Rutledge on February 18, 2024, at the age of 92; and WHEREAS, a pioneering figure in radio broadcasting, he began his career in the 1950s with a Sunday morning Gospel show on WCLS before joining WOKS in 1964, where he became the voice of historic high school and college sporting events in the Columbus area; and WHEREAS, throughout his seven-decade broadcasting career, he called some of the most memorable games in local history, including Carver High School's 1971 state basketball championship, Kendrick's 1991 state football championship, Shaw's 2000 state football championship, and Carver's 2007 state football championship; and WHEREAS, he further served as the play-by-play announcer for two historic college football rivalry games played annually in Columbus, the Fountain City Classic and the Tuskegee Morehouse Classic; and WHEREAS, beyond his impact in broadcasting, he was a dedicated educator who devoted 40 years of service to Phenix City Schools, serving as principal of Susie E. Allen Elementary School and as director of the city's Head Start and adult education programs; and WHEREAS, in honor of his invaluable contributions to his community, he earned the title of "Community Legend" from the Samarc Foundation in 2012 and was inducted into the Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 2014; and WHEREAS, his influence extended beyond the airwaves as he brought people together through his warm, personal broadcasting style, his dedication to his faith, and his lifelong commitment to uplifting those around him; and WHEREAS, he was a person of magnanimous strengths with an unimpeachable reputation for integrity, intelligence, fairness, and kindness, and by the example he made of his life, he made this world a better place in which to live; and WHEREAS, a compassionate and generous man, Cliff Rutledge will long be remembered for his love of family, friendship, and community and will be missed by all who had the great fortune of knowing him. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body join in honoring the life and memory of Cliff Rutledge and express their deepest and most sincere regret at his passing. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the family of Cliff Rutledge. ## 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 Senate resolution honors the life of Cliff Rutledge, a longtime Columbus-area radio broadcaster and Phenix City educator who died in February 2024 at age 92. ### Plain-language summary This is a memorial resolution passed by the Georgia Senate, not a change to state law. It recognizes Cliff Rutledge, who spent decades as a radio broadcaster in the Columbus, Georgia area, calling high school and college sporting events, and who also worked for 40 years in Phenix City Schools as a principal and program director. The resolution recounts his career highlights, including calling several state championship games and two historic college football rivalry games, and notes honors he received later in life. It formally expresses the Senate's condolences and directs the Secretary of the Senate to send a copy of the resolution to Rutledge's family. ### What it does - Formally expresses the Georgia Senate's condolences on the death of Cliff Rutledge, a broadcaster and educator. - Recounts his seven-decade broadcasting career covering high school and college sporting events in the Columbus area. - Notes his 40 years working for Phenix City Schools as a principal and as director of Head Start and adult education programs. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and send a copy of the resolution to Rutledge's family. ### Who it affects This resolution directly affects the family of Cliff Rutledge, who will receive a copy of it, and serves as a formal statement by the Georgia Senate. It does not create obligations for the general public, businesses, or government agencies. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or financial effect; it is a symbolic gesture by the Georgia Senate recognizing a community figure's life and contributions, providing his family with an official record of that recognition. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses describe Rutledge's death on February 18, 2024, at age 92, and his broadcasting and education career. - The resolved clause has the Senate join in honoring his life and expressing regret at his passing. - A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy available for distribution to his family. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-04) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-03-04) - Sponsors: Ed Harbison, Randy Robertson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71099 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr331.md?full=1