DEMOREST - Months of work culminated Tuesday night with the unveiling of the Johnny Mize Memorial Bridge in Demorest.
The city's mayor and city council asked the local legislative delegation to seek passage of a resolution naming the bridge over Hazel Creek on State Route 385/Old Highway 441 in memory of Mize.
The bridge naming was part of Senate Resolution 126, Part XVI.
Tuesday night, Mayor Rick Austin, Councilman John Popham and City Manager Steve Lindsey were joined by Sen. John Wilkinson, Rep. Terry Rogers, Habersham County Commissioner Natalie Crawford and Habersham County Chamber of Commerce President Judy Taylor for the unveiling of the memorial sign.
Born John Robert "Johnny" Mize in 1913 in Demorest, Mize began his Major League Baseball careeer with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1936.
He went on to the play with the New York Giants, retiring from the New York Yankees in 1953.
One of his standout accomplishments was a .300 batting average in nine consecutive seasons. He hit 51 home runs in 1947 alone, and played on five World Series championship teams.
Mize was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981.
