Remembering and continuing

Adam's memorial service will be on Tuesday in Greer, South Carolina.The graveside service will start in the afternoon at Memorial Woods in Duncan, SC. and will be followed by a service at Memorial United Methodist Church in Greer. If you are interested in going let me know and I will send you the details as I recieve them.

Several people have inquired to where they can send cards and flowers. If you would like Adam's mother's address please send me an e-mail or call me and I will provide that for you.

We will have our own service to celebrate Adam's life at Manuel's Tavern on Saturday, March 11th, starting at 7pm. We have not decided on a format yet, but people will certainly be allowed to speak as they wish. The purpose is to give us all a chance to remember Adam and be with eachother while we go through this time. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. If you plan to do so, please send an e-mail to Page Gleason (alupkg@yahoo.com)

Earlier that day we have scheduled our Executive Committee meeting to start at 11am and our Consitution Covention to start at 12:30. The Executive Committee meeting will be postponed until March 25th where it will be held in Macon Ga. Instead, we will try to get a jump start on the discussions for Constitution to ensure being done before we gather at Manuel's. If you plan on attending the Constituion Convention please let Richard Campbell know (Richard.Campbell@yahoo.com)

As a reminder, we are still having the Murphy Reception on Thurseday, March 9th at Park Tavern. Tickets for Young Democrats are $25, $50 for friends. We will be honoring Senator David Adelman with the "Friend of the Young Democrats Award." Please plan to come. For more information, please contact Justice Schunior (JSchunior@sjha.org)

Obviously, this has been a trying and stressful time for us all. Our busiest time of year has also become our saddest. Adam deserves to be memorialized in every way, and it is difficult to consider continuing with such things as revising the constitution and raising money with this grief hanging over us. Yet, I know that Adam would have it no other way and so pressing on the best we can is what we must do. If you would like more information about anything or just want to talk, please feel free to call me on my cell phone, 404-314-7472.

Billy Joyner

President

Young Democrats of Georgia

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A tragic loss

It is with great sadness that I inform you that Adam Stevens passed away earlier this week. While the cause of death has not yet been determined, we believe he passed due to existing medical problems. Adam was 24.

There are few people in this organization who Adam had not touched. He was one of our most experienced leaders, starting his involvement in the Young Democrats of Georgia when he founded the Georgia Tech Young Democrats after the 2000 election. On the state level, Adam held many positions within the Young Democrats of Georgia including Communications Director, Vice President of Programs, President of the College Democrats of Georgia, and Vice President of Membership. On the chapter level, Adam served as President of the Georgia Tech Young Democrats, Communication Chair of the Young Democrats of Fulton County, as well as founder and President of the Gwinnett Young Democrats. Adam was a State Committee member of the Democratic Party of Georgia and was actively involved in the Gwinnett County Democratic Party.

No one was more dedicated Adam. He campaigned wherever he was needed, be it in Chickamauga, Georgia or New Orleans, Louisiana. He worked hard to elect some of our greatest leaders in this state, including Shirley Franklin and Max Cleland. Moreover, he left his mark on the Young Democrats of Georgia by creating several of our most popular programs, The Platform Convention and our Internship Program.

More than all of that, though, Adam was a great friend. He was as dedicated to his friends as he was to the Democratic Party. He spoke his mind and fought for what he believed was right. Many people were lucky enough to count Adam as a friend and all our lives are now left with a void that can never be filled.

I spoke with Adam's mother yesterday. She told me how much all the work Adam did for us meant to him. She knows that Adam called Georgia home, however she is going to bring him home to his family. The funeral will be held in South Carolina. Arrangements have not yet been made, but I will let everyone know as soon as they have.

I know that many people will not be able to make it to South Carolina for a service there, so we will have a memorial service of our own in Atlanta.

More of a celebration of Adam's life than anything else, we will gather at Manuel's Tavern at 7pm on March 11 (a week from Saturday) after the Constitution Convention. I will announce more details in the next few days.

I sincerely apologize to many of you who are hearing this sad news for the first time. We made a diligent effort to speak to as many of Adam's friends as we could yesterday, but we surely missed some of you.

Adam was one of those truly wonderful people who made this world a brighter place. He will be greatly missed.

With sadness,

Billy Joyner
President
Young Democrats of Georgia