Courtesy of Georgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives on March 14 unveiled a portrait of the late House Speaker David Ralston, a UNG alumnus, honoring his life of service to the state. Pictured, from left, are University System of Georgia Chancellor and former Gov. Sonny Perdue, former Gov. Nathan Deal, House Speaker Jon Burns, Ralston’s widow Sheree, Gov. Brian Kemp, and first lady Marty Kemp.
The Georgia House of Representatives on March 14 unveiled a portrait of the late House Speaker David Ralston, a University of North Georgia (UNG) alumnus, honoring his life of service to the state.
Commissioned by the UNG Foundation in July, the portrait will be placed just outside the House chamber. Ralston’s widow, Sheree, and his children were on hand for the special occasion.
“Thank you to this body for having our family here today with you. Thank you to Gov. Perdue, Gov. Deal and Gov. Kemp for your kind words. I have quite a few people from House District 7 here. Thank you for being here. David Ralston loved you, and he worked hard for you. Thank you to the artist,” Sheree Ralston said. “But most of all, thank you to the University of North Georgia, who stays faithful to David Ralston. And he was faithful to you.”
The portrait of Ralston will be displayed across from an existing portrait of former House Speaker Tom Murphy. Murphy, also a UNG alumnus, and Ralston were the two longest-serving speakers in the history of the Georgia House. Murphy served in the role for 30 years and Ralston for 13 years.
Ralston was instrumental in securing funding for the original Blue Ridge Campus location that opened in 2015, the current stand-alone campus and the expansion opening later this year.
“We will always be grateful to Speaker Ralston for the impact he made on both UNG and the state of Georgia,” UNG President Michael Shannon said. “Thanks to his leadership, generations of leaders will change the trajectory of their family’s…
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