Former state Sen. Paul Broun dead at 88

<p>Former state Sen. Paul Broun of Athens, who served 38 years in the Georgia Legislature, died Monday. He was 88.</p><p>The Senate held a moment of silence in his memory.</p><p>"He was a true giant, not just in this body, but across the state," said Sen. Brian Kemp, R-Athens, who now represents Broun's old district.</p><p>Broun, a Democrat, served in the Senate from 1963 through 2000 and chaired several of its most important committees.</p><p>He was higher education chairman from 1967 to 1970 and appropriations chairman from 1975 to 1982.</p><p>Broun was the oldest member of the state Senate in 2000 when he lost a Democratic primary election to Doug Haines, who served one term and then lost to Kemp.</p><p>"It's been a good 38 years and I've enjoyed serving the people," Broun was quoted as saying at the time. "I must say that Haines and I both ran about as clean a race as you could possibly run, and in politics, that's an unusual situation."</p><p>Paul Collins Broun was born March 1, 1916 in Shellman, Ga., the son of a Methodist minister. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia and served in the infantry in the Pacific Theater in World War II, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.</p><p>For years he was president of Athens Tire and Supply Co., the Firestone tire distributor.</p><p>A son, Americus physician Paul Broun Jr., ran as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in 1996.</p><p>A memorial service will be held for Broun at 10 a.m. Friday at Prince Avenue Baptist Church in Athens.</p><p>In lieu of flowers, the family suggested contributions to the Paul C. Broun and Margaret B. Broun Scholarship Assistance Fund, the UGA Foundation or Habitat for Humanity.</p>

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