ROSWELL, Ga. — The former longtime mayor of Roswell, William Lee "Pug" Mabry, died on Friday at the age of 95.
Elected as the 34th mayor of Roswell, Pug held the position from 1966 to 1997. He went on to serve those in the community for 31 years, where he saw Roswell grow from a sleepy town to a booming city.
When he took over, the town consisted of just 3,000 residents. While he served as mayor, the city's population grew nearly 20 times, resulting in almost 60,000 residents by the time his tenure was over.
Under Pug's leadership, the city bought 63 acres of land that would later become Roswell Area Park. He also played an integral role in purchasing the land that would then become Roswell's riverfront parks and later expand multiple city recreation facilities.
Maybe most noticeable still today, Pug helped preserve historic homes in Roswell and supported preservation of Roswell's Historic District to encompass 656 acres.
“Mayor Pug Mabry devoted his life to Roswell and to bettering our City in extraordinary ways,” said current Roswell Mayor Kurt Wilson. “We will forever be grateful to him and his legacy of leadership and public service. I extend my deepest condolences to Pug’s wife, Sandra, to his family and friends, and to all those who loved and respected him.”
He was honored in 1988 when the Georgia General Assembly honored him by designating a part of Highway 9 to be named W.L. "Pug" Mabry Highway. Ten years later, he was granted the honorary title of Mayor Emeritus thanks to his acheivements.
In 2017, Pug also received honors from then Secretary of State Brian Kemp and U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, as well as former President Jimmy Carter.
A celebration of life will be held for Pug on Sunday, May 7, at 2 p.m. at Roswell First Baptist Church.