--- title: SR 766. St. Marys Submarine Museum; honor collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr766 cite_as: SR 766, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr766 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr766.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr766/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73164 date: 2026-02-17 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/sr765.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr767.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr766.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 766 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-02-17 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Mike Hodges - Larry Walker - Sally Harrell - Billy Hickman - Carden Summers - Freddie Sims - Tonya Anderson - Drew Echols - Chuck Payne - Clint Dixon - Blake Tillery - RaShaun Kemp - Sonya Halpern - Marty Harbin - Sam Watson text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR766/2025 upstream_id: 2116242 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - St. Marys - submarine museum - Camden County - military history - Georgia Senate resolution --- # SR 766. St. Marys Submarine Museum; honor ## Text Senate Resolution 766 By: Senators Hodges of the 3rd, Walker III of the 20th, Harrell of the 40th, Hickman of the 4th, Summers of the 13th and others A RESOLUTION Honoring the St. Marys Submarine Museum upon its 30th anniversary; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, the St. Marys Submarine Museum was a dream that became a reality on March 30, 1996, due to the heroic efforts of many people led by the late Georgia State Senator Sheila McNeill, who was the founding President of the Museum, and then St. Marys Mayor Jerry Brandon; and WHEREAS, the late Rear Admiral Eugene Fluckey, Commanding Officer of the WWII Submarine USS BARB, and one of seven submariners to receive the Medal of Honor in WWII, was the commissioning speaker; and WHEREAS, for the past 30 years the partnership between the St. Marys Submarine Museum and the City of St. Marys has been a great example of a public-private partnership that not only works, but works well; and WHEREAS, donated to the City in 1936 by the Lucas family of Georgia, the museum has remained located in a historic building on the waterfront in downtown St. Marys, that used to serve as both the St. Marys movie theater and then the city's youth center, and has continued that service to the community at large, with this museum paying tribute to the silent service of the United States Navy; and WHEREAS, the men and women who have been stationed over the years at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay have benefited from the history afforded at this incredible facility and have been able to hold reenlistments, officer promotions, chief promotions, and change of command receptions as well as so many other events at the museum; and WHEREAS, for the past decade the midshipmen of both the Naval Academy in Annapolis and ROTC Universities across the country have been provided history lectures and tours of this great museum, assisting them in making informed career decisions about their path for service following graduation each year; and WHEREAS, the museum has taken the lead role in the annual Kings Bay Submarine Veterans of WWII Memorial Week which has been held annually for 37 years, honoring the 65 submarines our nation has lost and thousands of submariners who were lost in the line of duty during service to our nation in its 126 year history as a submarine force, bringing submariners from all across the county together with our allies from the United Kingdom; and WHEREAS, the late Retired Navy Master Chief John Crouse was instrumental in bringing the museum to life and served as the first manager from 1995, before the doors were opened to the public, until his untimely passing in September 2010; and WHEREAS, Retired Navy Senior Chief Keith Post, who served on the museum's Board of Directors for 5 years, picked up the reins in 2010 and has led the Museum since then serving as Executive Director, building on the legacy started by John Crouse and bringing the Museum to new levels of service to the community, becoming part of the Georgia WWII Heritage Trail in 2020, and aggressively expanding Submarine Crew Reunions held in the Camden County area bringing not only visitors but also economic activity to the area. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize the St. Marys Submarine Museum on the occasion of its 30th anniversary and encourage all Georgians to visit this outstanding museum to learn about our nation's incredible submarine history. 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 St. Marys Submarine Museum, the public, and the press. ## 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 St. Marys Submarine Museum on its 30th anniversary and encourages Georgians to visit it, without changing any state law. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia Senate rather than a bill that changes state law. It recognizes the St. Marys Submarine Museum, which opened in 1996 in a historic waterfront building in St. Marys, Georgia, on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. The resolution recounts the museum's history, including its founding by former State Senator Sheila McNeill and former St. Marys Mayor Jerry Brandon, its role hosting Navy events for Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay personnel, its annual Kings Bay Submarine Veterans of WWII Memorial Week, and the leadership of its managers over the years. The Senate directs its Secretary to distribute copies of the resolution to the museum, the public, and the press. ### What it does - Formally recognizes the St. Marys Submarine Museum on its 30th anniversary through a Senate resolution. - Encourages all Georgians to visit the museum to learn about the nation's submarine history. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the museum, the public, and the press. - Does not create, amend, or repeal any Georgia statute or provide any state funding. ### Who it affects The St. Marys Submarine Museum and its staff and board, residents of St. Marys and Camden County, Navy personnel stationed at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, and members of the public who might visit the museum after this recognition. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or funding effect but gives official state recognition to a local museum and its role in preserving submarine history and supporting Navy personnel, which may raise its public profile and encourage tourism to the area. ### Key provisions - The resolution's preamble ('whereas' clauses) recounts the museum's founding in 1996 and its history over 30 years. - The resolved clause has the Senate recognize the museum's 30th anniversary and encourage Georgians to visit. - A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies to the museum, the public, and the press. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-02-17) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2026-02-17) - Sponsors: Mike Hodges, Larry Walker, Sally Harrell, Billy Hickman, Carden Summers, Freddie Sims, Tonya Anderson, Drew Echols, Chuck Payne, Clint Dixon, Blake Tillery, RaShaun Kemp, Sonya Halpern, Marty Harbin, Sam Watson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73164 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr766.md?full=1