The late Speaker of the Georgia House and UGA Law School graduate David Ralston will be honored with a scholarship fund from the law school.
The fund was created by Ralston's friend Joel O. Wooten with funds being matched by the University of Georgia Foundation.
“David Ralston was a good friend who spent much of his life in public service, working to move our state forward,” said Wooten. “David had the knack of bringing people on both sides of the aisle together, and he treated everyone with civility and respect. He was a true leader who cared about people and studied issues carefully before acting. David would listen and work with various interests to come up with the best, most workable solutions to help Georgia and its citizens.”
Ralston was first elected to the Georgia House in 2002 serving Fannin, Gilmer and Dawson counties. He was named the 73rd Speaker of the House in 2010.
At the time of his passing in 2022, Ralston was the longest-serving State House Speaker in the United States. Aside from his work in government, Ralston practiced law in Blue Ridge.
“It is an honor for this fund to be named in recognition of Dad,” said Ralston’s son, Matthew, a spokesperson for the family. “His dream when in law school was always to return to the North Georgia mountains to practice law and serve the area of the state where he grew up. As Speaker of the House, he reminded his colleagues in the state House that your zip code should not dictate your direction in life. Through his years of public service, Dad adopted the philosophy non sibi sed aliis – not for self, but for others. The David E. Ralston Memorial Fund will allow recipients to follow in that same principle and be able to serve the rural parts of the state after receiving a world-class legal education.”
Ralston graduated from the UGA School of Law in 1980 and was classmates with current UGA President Jere W. Moorehead.
“David Ralston and I were lifelong friends and law school classmates,” said Moorehead. “His very busy and extraordinary career never interfered with his faithful support of the University of Georgia.”
Ralston passed in November 2022 at the age of 68 but his legacy will continue through the David E. Ralston Memorial Fund.
