--- title: SR 579. Sgt. Major John Barry Dean Memorial Intersection; Paulding County; dedicate collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr579 cite_as: SR 579, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr579 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr579.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr579/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72274 date: 2026-01-16 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/sr578.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr580.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 95 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr579.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 579 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-01-15 last_action: Senate Read and Referred sponsors: - Jason Anavitarte - Timothy Bearden - Greg Dolezal - Steve Gooch - Shawn Still - John Albers - Matt Brass - Chuck Hufstetler - Billy Hickman - Bill Cowsert - Jason T. Dickerson - Elena Parent - Gail Davenport - Chuck Payne - Nikki Merritt - Randal Mangham - Kay Kirkpatrick - Donzella James text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR579/2025 upstream_id: 2083426 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - memorial resolution - Paulding County - veterans - road dedication --- # SR 579. Sgt. Major John Barry Dean Memorial Intersection; Paulding County; dedicate ## Text Senate Resolution 579 By: Senators Anavitarte of the 31st, Bearden of the 30th, Dolezal of the 27th, Gooch of the 51st, Still of the 48th and others A RESOLUTION Honoring the life of Sgt. Major John Barry Dean and dedicating an intersection in his memory; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, our nation's security continues to rely on patriotic men and women who put their personal lives on hold in order to place themselves in harm's way to protect the freedoms that all United States citizens cherish; and WHEREAS, Sgt. Major John Barry Dean was born in Aberdeen, Washington, on August 28, 1949, the beloved son of Eddie and Irene Dean; and WHEREAS, he graduated from Arab High School in Arab, Alabama, in 1967, and earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; and WHEREAS, Sgt. Major Dean served as a guardian of this nation's freedom and liberty with the United States Marine Corps and honorably served this nation for 36 years as an avionics technician until his retirement as the Sergeant Major of the 24th Marine Regiment in 2004; and WHEREAS, his professional career included work with Boeing, Martin Marietta, Rockwell, and Lockheed Martin, where he served as a quality engineer in the F-22 Raptor program; and WHEREAS, Sgt. Major Dean was elected to the Paulding County School Board in 2018 and served over six years with enthusiasm and a deep love for the students, staff, and schools he represented; and WHEREAS, he embodied the spirit of service and willingness to find meaning in something greater than himself, and it is abundantly fitting and proper that this remarkable and distinguished Georgian be recognized appropriately by dedicating an intersection in his memory. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AND ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that the intersection of State Route 92 and Cedarcrest Road in Paulding County is dedicated as the Sgt. Major John Barry Dean Memorial Intersection. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is authorized and directed to erect and maintain appropriate signs dedicating the Sgt. Major John Barry Dean Memorial Intersection. 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 Sgt. Major John Barry Dean 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 the intersection of State Route 92 and Cedarcrest Road in Paulding County the Sgt. Major John Barry Dean Memorial Intersection, honoring a retired Marine and former school board member. ### Plain-language summary This resolution honors Sgt. Major John Barry Dean, a Marine Corps veteran who served 36 years as an avionics technician and later worked in the defense industry, including on the F-22 Raptor program. He also served on the Paulding County School Board for over six years before his death. The resolution dedicates the intersection of State Route 92 and Cedarcrest Road in Paulding County in his memory and directs the Georgia Department of Transportation to erect and maintain signs marking the dedication. It also directs the Secretary of the Senate to send copies of the resolution to Dean's family and to the Department of Transportation. The resolution does not change any Georgia law; it is a ceremonial honor. ### What it does - Dedicates the intersection of State Route 92 and Cedarcrest Road in Paulding County as the Sgt. Major John Barry Dean Memorial Intersection. - Directs the Georgia Department of Transportation to erect and maintain signs marking the dedicated intersection. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to Dean's family and the Department of Transportation. ### Who it affects The resolution mainly affects the Georgia Department of Transportation, which must install and maintain the memorial signage, and the family of Sgt. Major John Barry Dean, along with residents of Paulding County who use the dedicated intersection. ### Why it matters While the resolution does not change any law, it creates a lasting public memorial recognizing a veteran's decades of military and community service, and it requires the state transportation agency to install and maintain physical signage at the named intersection. ### Key provisions - The resolving clause dedicates the intersection of State Route 92 and Cedarcrest Road in Paulding County as the Sgt. Major John Barry Dean Memorial Intersection. - A further resolution clause authorizes and directs the Department of Transportation to erect and maintain signs for the dedication. - A final clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to Dean's family and the Department of Transportation. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-01-15) - Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-01-16) - Sponsors: Jason Anavitarte, Timothy Bearden, Greg Dolezal, Steve Gooch, Shawn Still, John Albers, Matt Brass, Chuck Hufstetler, Billy Hickman, Bill Cowsert, Jason T. Dickerson, Elena Parent, Gail Davenport, Chuck Payne, Nikki Merritt, Randal Mangham, Kay Kirkpatrick, Donzella James - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72274 > The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr579.md?full=1