MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — The Nancy Hart Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) welcomed a special guest Monday afternoon in First Lady of Georgia Sandra Deal.

The occasion was also a special one as the local DAR chapter made Deal’s name the latest addition to its DAR women of history bench, which is located near the intersection of Washington and South Wayne streets in downtown Milledgeville. Other prominent guests at the ceremony included Georgia College President Dr. Steve Dorman and Milledgeville Mayor Gary Thrower. 

“We started this bench a few years ago in 2003,” said Nancy Hart Chapter Regent Amelia Pelton to Deal and the small assembled crowd. “It serves as a recognition of some ladies who have Milledgeville roots or connections and who have done a lot of good things for the state. We don’t do one every year, we just kind of wait until we feel moved and we felt moved about a year ago. That’s when we started this process to add Mrs. Deal.”

Deal joins names like celebrated author Flannery O’Connor (the first name added to the bench in 2003) and local educator Sallie Ellis Davis, who was the most recent addition before Deal in 2014. The first lady’s connection to Milledgeville lies just a couple of blocks away from the bench where her name is now displayed. Deal received her postsecondary education at Georgia College, which at the time was known as The Woman’s College of Georgia.

“We’re just so proud to have you here today and so excited,” Pelton added. “You’ve done so much for the state of Georgia both as our first lady and also as a sister to all of us for DAR. We enjoy seeing you at the state conference every year. … We just appreciate you so much, and we’re so honored to have your name on our bench.”

In her time as first lady, Deal has made promoting literacy one of her major initiatives and was doing just that earlier Monday visiting schools within the Baldwin County School District. She told those assembled Monday afternoon that she feels a “real connection” with Milledgeville not just because she attended college here, but also because her mother, mother-in-law, and sister did, too. 

“This is a real honor,” Deal said. “I’m not as good a DAR member as I would like to be because I’m so busy trying to do all the stuff for the state and trying to read to these children and encourage them to want to learn to read. I’m very honored … I do love Milledgeville and it’s just such a special place, so I appreciate this.”

Deal is a member of the Col. William Candler Chapter of the DAR headquartered in her hometown of Gainesville. The National Society of the DAR celebrates ancestors who fought or gave aid to the American Revolution. The Nancy Hart Chapter has 86 members, according to Pelton, and was organized Oct. 5, 1900, in the rotunda of the Old Governor’s Mansion. The organizing regent was Henrietta Kincaid Chappel, wife to the then-president of Georgia College.