The Georgia General Assembly recently recognized the literary legacy of Reece by adopting House Resolution 295, which dedicates a portion of U.S. Highway 129 from Neels Gap to the historic Union County Courthouse, as the "Byron Herbert Reece Memorial Highway" and names Reece "Georgia's Appalachian Poet/Novelist."
Representative Charles Jenkins introduced the resolution in the House, and Senator Chip Pearson guided it through the Senate.
"We are thankful that the Georgia General Assembly has recognized Reece in this very meaningful way," said Dr. John Kay, Chair of The Byron Herbert Reece Society, a non-profit organization whose mission is to elevate the public awareness of the literary contributions of Byron Herbert Reece throughout Georgia and the nation.
The Reece Society will acknowledge the resolution at a ceremony during its annual meeting on May 21 in Young Harris.
The adoption of HR 295 fits into the Reece Society plans to increase public awareness of Reece. In June 2004, the 9.4 acre farm and home place of Reece was donated to Union County by the Chattahoochee Oconee Forest Interpretive Association. The Reece Society is working with the county and other partners to develop the property into the Reece Historic Interpretive Center. The farm will be open to the public and will include a visitor's center, the Reece Plaza where visitors will be introduced to the life and works of the poet, barns original to the farm, and space where special events can be held.
In a career cut short by illness and suicide, Reece won the American Poet magazine's annual poetry award in 1943 and by 1952 had received a Pulitzer Prize nomination for his poetry.
He was the subject of a Newsweek magazine profile and served in a prestigious poet-in-residence position at UCLA. He also received the Georgia Writers Association literary achievement award five times and served as the poet-in-residence at both Young Harris College and Emory University.
A play inspired by his writings, "The Reach of Song," was declared the official drama of the State of Georgia in 1990.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/8/128071