Page 47 - Demo

The State Transportation Board honored its former board member with the dedication of the James Slaton “Jay” Shaw Memorial Highway. Pictured are Jason Shaw, left, his wife, Katy, Libby Shaw, Sam Shaw, his wife, Christa, and the Shaw children at the highway dedication on Oct. 19, 2016.
but also the safety factor for people traveling on this road daily.”
Golden said he vividly remembers the rst project he and Shaw worked on more than 35 years ago.
“Jay came to Washington to get federal assistance to preserve Banks Lake,” said Golden, who at the
time was a legislative aide for U.S. Representative Charles Hatcher. “He was mayor of Lakeland and knew that Banks Lake had environmental importance to Lanier County, really all of South Georgia. He wanted to preserve it for future generations.”
Banks Lake was established as a
National Wildlife Refuge in 1985 and provides 4,000 acres of freshwater wetland containing open water, marsh, hardwood swamp, and uplands. Hundreds of visitors bene t from
the public access of one of South Georgia’s premier shing locations and wildlife observation points.
After Shaw was elected to the House of Representative, one of his rst priorities involved ending long distance calls within counties, Golden recalled.
“Jay fought for this and went up against some opposition,” Golden said. “Back in the early 1990s, you could live in the same county and still have to pay long distance charges.
This was an important issue to people and businesses in rural South Georgia, so it was important to Jay.”
Shaw was an advocate for the state’s healthcare system, especially as it related to services and access in
rural Georgia, and improving the state’s transportation system. While
in the House of Representatives, Shaw served on several powerful committees, including Appropriations, Banks and Banking, Regulated Industries, and Rules.
Golden said he considered Jay Shaw one of his closest friends and will always remain close to his family.
The best way I can describe Jay is to say ‘his currency was in people.’ He was a true public servant.
— Tim Golden
BUSINESS + CULTURE 47
PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED