Georgia CommonsSR 877: Coffin, Tom; condolences
Last action March 3, 2026 · Senate Read and Adopted
A Georgia Senate resolution honors the late Tom Coffin, an Atlanta journalist, labor advocate, and arborist, for his decades of civic and environmental work.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the resolution and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Enrolled version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
This is a memorial resolution passed by the Georgia Senate honoring Tom Coffin, who died at 82. It recounts his life story: co-founding Atlanta's underground newspaper The Great Speckled Bird in 1968, working in construction trades as a crane operator, teaching sociology at Georgia State University, serving as head field arborist for the City of Atlanta, and helping found the Georgia Arborist Association. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It formally states the Senate's recognition of Coffin's contributions to journalism, labor organizing, and environmental stewardship, and directs the Secretary of the Senate to send a copy of the resolution to his family.
What the bill does
- Formally honors the life and legacy of Tom Coffin on behalf of the Georgia Senate.
- Recounts Coffin's career as a journalist, construction worker, professor, and city arborist in the resolution's text.
- Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and send a copy of the resolution to Coffin's family.
- Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory change, as is typical for a memorial resolution.
Who it affects
This resolution primarily affects Tom Coffin's family, who will receive an official copy, and stands as a formal statement by the Georgia Senate. It has no direct legal or regulatory effect on the general public.
Why it matters
Memorial resolutions like this one carry symbolic rather than legal weight. Its significance lies in the Georgia Senate's public recognition of a private citizen's contributions to journalism, labor, and environmental work, and in providing his family a formal keepsake from the state legislature.
Key provisions
- The resolution's 'WHEREAS' clauses detail Coffin's biography, education, journalism career, labor work, and civic contributions.
- The resolved clause has the Senate formally honor Coffin's life and legacy.
- A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute a copy of the resolution to Coffin's family.
From the bill
“whose 82 years of purpose-driven life were marked by what he often described as making "good trouble"”
“he co-founded and became the first editor of Atlanta's cooperatively owned underground newspaper, The Great Speckled Bird”
Status timeline
- Senate Read and Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Nan Orrock (D, SD-036)
- Kenya Wicks (D, SD-034)
- Donzella James (D, SD-028)
- Randal Mangham (D, SD-055)
- Kim Jackson (D, SD-041)
- Gail Davenport (D, SD-017)
- Tonya Anderson (D, SD-043)
- RaShaun Kemp (D, SD-038)
Topics
- memorial resolution
- Georgia Senate
- Atlanta history
- labor advocacy