Gov. Sonny Perdue Remembers Tom Murphy

(12/21/07) Text of Gov. Sonny Perdue's eulogy:

I'd like to open today with a story that I think illustrates the man whose life and legacy we are here to celebrate today.

It was March 1998, my second year as President Pro Tern of the Senate, and we were in the heat of budget negotiations. We alternated meeting in House and Senate offices, and this particular morning, we were assembling in my office on the third floor of the Capitol.

In that room were names you recognize - Pierre Howard, George Hooks, Larry Walker, Terry Coleman, Tom Buck ... but we were all waiting on the Speaker to arrive.

That session I had a new executive assistant. She had never worked in state government before, but she still knew who Tom Murphy was. When he opened the door that morning, Stetson in hand and unlit cigar in his mouth, my assistant stood up and said, "Good morning, sir. They're waiting for you in the office, Representative Murphy."

Immediately realizing her breach of protocol, she blushed crimson red. Tom Murphy, never missing a beat, took his cigar out of his mouth and said "Darlin", back home they just call me Tom."

That was the essence of Tom Murphy. This was a man to whom people mattered. In these halls, we knew him as Mr. Speaker, a man who wielded a powerful gavel, spoke with a powerful voice, and accomplished powerful things for this state.

But he knew who he was. And back home in his beloved Bremen, they just called him Tom.

Now, most people might have thought otherwise, but I always thought of the Speaker as a democrat with a small "d."

He believed in democracy - not as a system of government that bends to the will of the majority, but as one that concerns itself with the individual. He believed the role of the Republic is to look out for those who can't look out for themselves. This was the sentiment that really drove his political philosophy.

At the core of his work was a man who, despite the gruff exterior he loved to portray, always worked as a gentle giant.. .a true servant of the people. I had the occasion to see his heart - and I saw that he believed in people, he believed in the individual.

Today we mourn his passing, but we celebrate his life.

He lived to serve and steer Georgia's House of Representatives - and state government as a whole - to meet the needs of people.

And so, it is fitting that we gather here in this beautiful rotunda of our capital, the people's house, to honor him.

Here is a man who lived knowing that he would have a place to go when the Lord called him home. He would have a place to call home forever.

As we pay our respects in this holy time of year, we are comforted that even though Speaker Murphy has passed from this life, he is now welcomed into the care of our Lord.

Earlier this week, in this very rotunda, stood a 32-foot-tall cedar Christmas tree. That beautiful giant, aglow with lights, symbolized to all the hope and joy of this season of peace.

Today another giant lies in this place - a giant who worked for the hope and joy of Georgians across the state.

We are blessed to have known him. We are grateful for his legacy of service. We are challenged to live up to his example. And we are comforted even in this time of sadness to know that he is now and forever in a better place.