--- title: SR 755. Coleman, Dr. Thomas L.; condolences collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr755 cite_as: SR 755, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr755 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr755.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr755/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73079 date: 2026-02-11 status: passed 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/sr754.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr756.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr755.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 755 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-11 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Emanuel Jones - Tonya Anderson - Kenya Wicks - Gail Davenport - Nan Orrock - Bo Hatchett - Kay Kirkpatrick text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR755/2025 upstream_id: 2113595 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - memorial resolution - DeKalb County - Georgia Senate - public service honors --- # SR 755. Coleman, Dr. Thomas L.; condolences ## Text Senate Resolution 755 By: Senators Jones of the 10th, Anderson of the 43rd, Wicks of the 34th, Davenport of the 17th, Orrock of the 36th and others A RESOLUTION Honoring the life and memory of Dr. Thomas L. Coleman; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the State of Georgia mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished citizens with the passing of Dr. Thomas L. Coleman on January 31, 2026; and WHEREAS, Dr. Thomas L. Coleman was born on July 28, 1945, in Gay, Georgia, a beloved son of AC and Virginia Coleman; and WHEREAS, he served as a guardian of this nation's freedom and liberty with the United States Air Force, valiantly and courageously protecting his fellow Americans for over 25 years; and WHEREAS, following his military career, he devoted his professional life to public service in Georgia, including as the Chief of Staff to former DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Burrell Ellis as well as more than 12 years with the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, where he served as Chief Deputy Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of the Programs, Education and Youth Development Division; and WHEREAS, Dr. Coleman was a former Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety and served for more than a decade as a commissioner with the DeKalb County Housing Authority, as well as with the Housing Development Corporation of DeKalb County; and WHEREAS, he served as a board member of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, vice-chair of the Georgia Piedmont Technical College Board of Directors, chaired the 4th Congressional District of Georgia Congressional Black Caucus Scholarship Committee, and served on numerous civic and community boards focused on education, youth development, housing, and public safety; and WHEREAS, Dr. Coleman’s lifelong commitment to service earned him numerous honors including, recognition as a DeKalb County History Maker in 2017 and again in 2026 by the DeKalb County Solicitor-General’s Office, a Lifetime Achievement Award presented during the administration of Joe Biden, and during the DeKalb County Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Celebration of Service, Dr. Coleman was honored with the Nathaniel Mosby Humanitarian Award; and WHEREAS, he gave inspiration to many through his high ideals, morals, and deep concern for his fellow citizens, and the devotion, patience, and understanding he demonstrated to his family and friends were admired by others; 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, Dr. Thomas L. Coleman 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 Dr. Thomas L. Coleman 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 Dr. Thomas L. Coleman. ## 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 Dr. Thomas L. Coleman, a DeKalb County public servant and Air Force veteran who died on January 31, 2026. ### Plain-language summary This is a memorial resolution passed by the Georgia Senate. It does not change any law; instead it formally recognizes the life and death of Dr. Thomas L. Coleman, who served over 25 years in the United States Air Force and later held several public service roles in DeKalb County, including Chief of Staff to former DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Burrell Ellis and Chief Deputy Commissioner at the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice. The resolution recounts his career and community service, including his time as a commissioner with the DeKalb County Housing Authority and various civic boards, and the honors he received during his life. The Senate resolves to express its condolences to his family and directs the Secretary of the Senate to send an official copy of the resolution to them. ### What it does - Formally expresses the Georgia Senate's condolences over the death of Dr. Thomas L. Coleman on January 31, 2026. - Recounts his military service in the United States Air Force and decades of public service roles in DeKalb County and Georgia state government. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute an official copy of the resolution to Dr. Coleman's family. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory change; it is a commemorative statement only. ### Who it affects This resolution directly concerns the family and community of Dr. Thomas L. Coleman. It has no regulatory or financial effect on the general public, businesses, or government agencies beyond the Senate's own administrative act of distributing the document. ### Why it matters The resolution carries symbolic weight rather than legal effect. It provides an official Senate record honoring Dr. Coleman's decades of military and public service and gives his family a formal expression of the legislature's sympathy, but it changes no laws or policies. ### Key provisions - The resolution recites Dr. Coleman's biography, military service, and public service career in DeKalb County and Georgia state government. - The Senate resolves to honor his life and memory and expresses its sincere regret at his passing. - The Secretary of the Senate is directed to make a copy of the resolution available to Dr. Coleman's family. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-11) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-02-11) - Sponsors: Emanuel Jones, Tonya Anderson, Kenya Wicks, Gail Davenport, Nan Orrock, Bo Hatchett, Kay Kirkpatrick - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73079 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr755.md?full=1