Sergeant First Class Ray F. Lents was honored on November 17th for 30 years of service, 22 of those years at Post 27 in Blue Ridge, GA.  Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston gathered with many others for the ceremony.   Ralston and State Senator Steve Gooch were sponsors of the resolution.  

Ralston made the following statement,

I was proud to join so many members of our community in honoring Sergeant First Class Ray Lents on Thursday as we dedicated the intersection of Highway 515 and the Orvin Lance Connector in his memory. Sgt. Lents served with the Georgia State Patrol for 30 years and was the post commander of Post 27 in Blue Ridge from 1971 until his retirement in 1993.

It was great to celebrate the legacy of a dedicated public servant who spent a lifetime protecting our roads and communities. We owe a special debt of gratitude to his wife, Jo Ann, and his children, Jeff, Tim and Mandy, for sharing him with us. I also want to thank all the local officials, State Senator Steve Gooch and Georgia Public Safety Commissioner Colonel Mark McDonough for joining us for this special observance.

See the Resolution below:

House Resolution 1523

By: Representative Ralston of the 7th

A RESOLUTION

1 Honoring the life of Sergeant First Class Ray F. Lents and dedicating an intersection in his

2 memory; and for other purposes.

3 WHEREAS, the State of Georgia lost one of its finest citizens and most dedicated law

4 enforcement officers with the passing of Sergeant First Class Ray F. Lents on December 16,

5 1993; and

6 WHEREAS, a native of Murray County, Georgia, Sergeant First Class Lents joined the

7 Georgia State Patrol in 1963 and was assigned to Post 27 in Blue Ridge upon graduating

8 from the 25th trooper school in Atlanta in 1964; and

9 WHEREAS, he was promoted to corporal in 1968 and sergeant in 1971 and served as

10 commander of Post 27 from 1971 until his retirement in 1993, diligently protecting and

11 serving the citizens of Fannin, Gilmer, Union, and Towns counties; and

12 WHEREAS, this dedicated law enforcement officer served as a guardian of this nation’s

13 freedom and liberty with the United States Armed Forces and was a member of Lebanon

14 Baptist Church and Blue Ridge Masonic Lodge Number 67 F&AM; and

15 WHEREAS, he was united in love and marriage to Jo Ann Galloway Lents and blessed with

16 three remarkable children, Jeff, Tim, and Mandy; and

17 WHEREAS, Sergeant First Class Lents exhibited extraordinary devotion to duty, outstanding

18 loyalty, fine leadership, and meticulous attention to detail in all his duties, and it is

19 abundantly fitting and proper that an intersection be dedicated in his memory.

20 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AND ENACTED BY THE GENERAL

21 ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that the intersection of Highway 515/U.S. 75 and the Orvin

22 Lance Connector is dedicated as the Sergeant First Class Ray F. Lents Memorial Intersection. 16 LC 25 6585 H. R. 1523 – 2 –

23 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is authorized and

24 directed to erect and maintain appropriate signs dedicating the Sergeant First Class Ray F.

25 Lents Memorial Intersection.

26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized

27 and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the

28 family of Sergeant First Class Ray F. Lents and to the Department of Transportation.