ATLANTA — Editor's Note: The video above is from a previous report.
Celebration of Life services have been announced for longtime, former Atlanta City Council Member Jim Maddox who passed away last week.
Maddox was affectionately referred to as the Dean of Atlanta City Council. He retired back in 2009 after serving 32 years and eight terms in office. Maddox was the representative for District 11.
Services to honor Maddox will begin with the former council member lying in state inside the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
A funeral service is scheduled for Thursday at 11 a.m. at West Hunter Street Baptist Church. The service is set to be followed by an interment at Lincoln Cemetery.
A release from the city council previously stated the Atlanta native served as the chair of the Community Development and Human Services committee.
Legislation he helped author, according to the release, includes:
- Crafting the city’s E-911 system
- Producing the Atlanta Sister Cities Commission
- Helping to open the Cascade Springs Nature Preserve
- Creating a Tax Allocation District along the Campbellton Corridor
To recognize his service to the city, the Community Development and Human Services committee unanimously passed an ordinance to honor Jim Maddox by name at the gateway to the Cascade Springs Nature Preserve.
"He capably represented District 11 but was also a major flagbearer for Atlanta on the global stage. He may have left public office, but Mr. Maddox never stopped singing Atlanta’s praises around the world," Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement in light of the news of Maddox's passing.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking those who would like to pay respects to donate in his memory at the Andrew and Walter Young Family YMCA, Quality Living Services, Inc. and Morehouse College.