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6 | FEB. 22 - MARCH 7,2013 I
I do not know the words to fully describe the life of Sen. Jim Tysinger, who died Feb. 12. To the
one, all who knew Jim called him a gentleman who without fail worked to better our state and com
munity.
But those words do little justice, for he was more than that. Elected to the council for the city of
North DeKalb, Jim saw his city dissolved by the efforts of his state senator. Unhappy, Jim ran against
him and in 1968 was elected senator, a position he held through 2004.
At the time, Jim was one of just a handful of Republicans in the Georgia Legislature. This gives you
an idea of Jim’s character -- undaunted by long odds.
In the wake of the Watergate scandal, Georgia Republicans were in short supply. But Jim believed
his conservative principles were shared by many and Watergate did not define his ethics. So he started
the weekly North DeKalb Saturday Morning Breakfast Forum (now named after him) and the year
ly Lincoln Day Dinner.
Jim led these meetings to encourage conversation, not conflict, to resolve the political issues of the
day.
As a Georgia Tech engineer, Jim knew collaboration would produce better results. These meetings
were open to all, Democrats, Republicans,
and nonpartisans alike. So long as the office holders or seekers were
honest and worked for the greater good, they were welcome.
And it was Jim who led the effort for DeKalb Republicans to reach
out to African-Americans and Latinos throughout all of DeKalb Coun
ty-
Jim’s willingness to work with all while maintaining his principles
was his trademark.
This is best reflected in Jim chairing the Georgia State Senate Sci
ence and Technology Committee as a Republican when the senate was
dominated by Democrats. Without Jim’s leadership and willingness to
work with a Democratic governor, there would be no Brook Run Park
in Dunwoody. Engineers like Jim know there is more than one way to
span a river.
And while his list of legislative accomplishments is too long to set
forth here, one recent event sums it up.
The Ashford-Dunwoody interchange over 1-285 is named after Jim
Tysinger. Last fall, when the Diverging Double Diamond Interchange
(DDI) was christened, local and statewide officials, including the Lieu
tenant Governor who served with Jim as a senator, spent more time
thanking Jim than talking about the first of its kind interchange.
By way of background, it was Jim who sponsored the legislation that
led to the creation of the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts, without which the Perimeter area would not be the
Southeast’s top retail and office market, and the DDI would not have been built.
What started as a celebration of a bridge became a celebration of an engineer who was more than just a builder of bridges.
So, it is the engineer which we mourn in passing and celebrate in life. Senator Jim Tysinger is that gentleman who showed us
it is what we build to serve others that matters most.
Dunwoody lawyer Bob Dallas serves as moderator of the Sen. Jim Tysinger Saturday Morning Breakfast Forum.
JOE EARLE
Retired state Sen. Jim Tysinger in the
library at his home in Brookhaven.
BOB
DALLAS
GUEST COLUMN
Protect us from
gun ‘crazies’
Editor’s note: In the Jan. 11-24 issue
of Reporter Newspapers, Associate Editor
Dan Whisenhunt offered his opinion on
the debate over guns. In subsequent issues,
readers have reacted to his thoughts and to
the ideas expressed by other readers.
To the editor:
I have read with interest the numer
ous pro and con gun control letters
to the editor. The real question is not
whether we reject our Second Amend
ment, confiscate this or that gun, or
chip away more of our freedoms. The
question is how do we keep our schools,
www.ReporterNewspapers.net
LETTER TO
THE EDITOR
E-mail letters to
editor@reporternewspapers.net
public places and homes safe from the
crazies (these murderers are not law-
abiding, citizen gun owners) who
would shoot up such places with weap
ons they will obtain no matter what the
guns laws are?
The answer is we put something or
someone in place to deter such individ
uals. It could be guards, metal detec
tors, permanent lock down, armed par
ticipants or one of the many ideas we
Americans will create to reach that goal.
The answer is to deter the crazed in
dividuals before they can even enter the
area or reach the victims. The answer
is unless the protectors are on an equal
footing to the shooter, i.e., they possess
a weapon or the strength to deter, the
shooter will prevail.
Just look at the protections for pub
lic officials, celebrities and any high-
profile individuals. They employ armed
guards 24-7. Rarely do we hear of any
of those people shot, killed or injured.
Doesn’t that tell us something?
Equal methods of protection are the
way to deter any mass murderer or even
a home invader.
Carol Adams
BK
