REMARKS BY GOVERNOR GEORGE BUSBEE

GOLD FOR THE CAPITOL DOME
PRESENTED BY THE DAHLONEGA JAYCEES
STATE CAPITOL, NOVEMBER 26, 1979, 12:00 NOON

Wagonmaster Rickman, Mrs. Rickman, and the many members of the "Make Georgia a Shining Example" wagon train, let me welcome you to Atlanta as the final leg of your covered wagon journey comes to an end. The State of Georgia applauds you and commends you on your most worthwhile efforts to restore our capitol dome.

The journey you have just completed has taken you across this vast state of ours, from our urban centers to the rural countryside, from the shores of our Golden Isles to the mountains of our beautiful north, and now finally from the gold hills of Dahlonega to your final destination, the state capitol.

You have rekindled a spirit which lives in all of us with this illustrious wagon train of yours, one that has brought all of us together in an effort to retain a part of our past, a spirit which is a symbol of our heritage and the strength of our future. I commend you all.

For some time now, the gold leaf which surrounds and so beautifies the capitol dome has been flaking and peeling off. Nature has, indeed, taken her toll upon the once brilliant sheen of the dome.

To replace the gold leaf would cost the state over a quarter of a million dollars, a sum which seemed a bit much for the state to spend on the rebeautification of the capitol during a time of such high inflation.

However, there is an old saying: if there is a will, there is a way. The will came from the inspiration of a group of young, hardworking, and determined Jaycees from Dahlonega. The way: a volunteer drive to reach out to every Georgian in an effort to save a part of our past.

At first that $250,000 seemed like a lot of money to raise to replace the gold dome which meant so much to us. But once the people of Georgia found out about the needs of their gold dome, offers of help came from every part of Georgia and also from many people who live outside of our state.

Usually, when a project of this nature begins, it is the large corporations that donate the vast majority of money needed for the successful completion. However, the most impressive part of this fundraising drive to me is the fact the Georgians from every walk of life, and especially school children, are taking an active interest in seeing this project through.

The most vivid and heart-warming example of this attitude and help comes from our young children: first graders, second graders, third graders, and on up are helping to raise money to replace the gold. These kids have been earning nickels and dimes and quarters just so they can contribute to the project in some small way. But to me, the nickel or dime a young child contributes means as much or more in spirit than any of the larger donations.

Many of our elementary schools have since raised hundreds of dollars for this project. In the years ahead, many of these youngsters will be able to tell their children how they were a part of the placing of gold on our state capitol's dome.

This dream which will soon become a reality was the idea of the young men of the Dahlonega/Lumpkin County Jaycees who, in an effort to replace the gold, sought the much needed help of the entire statewide Jaycees organization and the Georgia Building Authority. These three organizations have worked hand-in-hand in helping to make this drive such a success.

I would also like to commend six individuals who I feel have contributed considerably of their time and energy in making this goal reachable. They are Curt Massey and William Martin of the Dahlonega Jaycees, Jerry Vincent and John David Miles of the Georgia Jaycees, Ed Jackson, the educational coordinator for the project, and Steve Polk, director of the Georgia Building Authority. Without the constant help of these individuals we would not be here today.

We are honored to have with us Madeline Anthony, Dahlonega historian, who was a part of the original wagon train in 1958 and who is just as helpful in this project. I thank each of you.

Let me say to each and every one of you who are here today and who have been associated with this project: thank you. On behalf of the citizens of Georgia, I accept this most gracious gift and I look forward to the day the gold being presented today is resting on the dome of the state's capitol. Thank you.