Former Gov. Carl Sanders On Tom Murphy

(12/21/07) Here is the prepared text of former Gov. Carl Sanders' remarks. He expanded them somewhat in the actual delivery.

Governor Perdue, members of the Tom Murphy family, members of the House and Senate, and Friends. Tom Murphy served the Georgia House of Representatives LONGER, knew its rules and traditions BETTER, and probably LOVED IT MORE than any other person in our history.

He and I had a friendship that was authentic and real because it was not always perfect. We were in the same age group. We were both competitive, and because of that, on some days in the Capitol we got along with each other about like two big ROOSTERS in the SAME SMALL barnyard.

What I admired most about Speaker Murphy was that you could have a political squabble with him without forfeiting your friendship. He often chided himself for his Irish temper. But that temper was one of his leadership assets. He knew exactly when to lose it, and he knew how to use it. The essence of Tom Murphy was that he had a SHARP MIND, QUICK TEMPER and a BIG HEART!

Governors come to the Capitol, serve a TERM or two, and then move on. But in the modern history of Georgia Tom Murphy was a fixed point in an always changing political landscape.

For three decades every PROGRAM, PLAN and POLICY of the State government, in some form or fashion bore the fingerprints of Tom Murphy. He was one of the architects of the GEORGIA we have today.

Oliver Wendell Holmes once said “life is ACTION and PASSION … and it is required of a man that he participate in the ACTION of his time … so that it will be known that he LIVED.”

By that high standard … Tom Murphy lived a meaningful life. We thank God today for his life … and that he chose to give so much of himself to the government of his State.

I will always be grateful that I knew him … that we were State Government COLLEAGUES … and that we shared a friendship for more than half a century.