FLEMINGTON – The City of Flemington paid tribute to Paul Hawkins’ more than 30 years of service Saturday.

Along with declaring the day Paul Hawkins Day, the current Mayor Tim Byler and the city council also gave a stretch of Joseph Martin Road the honorary name of Paul Hawkins Way, commemorating Hawkins’ time as a city council member and mayor.

Flemington Mayor pro tem Rene Harwell called Hawkins “a beloved member of our city” and said his vision and dedication helped shape Flemington’s growth and character.

“We gather not just to dedicate a road but to celebrate a legacy of leadership, dedicated service and a very strong commitment to our mayor,” she said.

Friends, family, Flemington residents and Hawkins’ Lodge brothers also gathered to salute him.

“My family, my wife, my children, I couldn’t thank any more,” Hawkins told the crowd. “I appreciate all of this. It’s a great honor for me, it really is. Thank you mayor and council so much.”

Hawkins’ son Steve also expressed his gratitude to the city for honoring his father.

“He is the man at home that he is in the streets,” Steve Hawkins said of his dad. “Whatever I am as a father and a man I owe to him. He is an amazing example to live by. He truly is an incredible person. He is a great father and a friend.”

City and county leaders hailed Hawkins for his leadership and his vision for the city. When Hawkins first took a seat on Flemington’s city council, fewer than 300 people called it home. Now, it’s home to more than 1,500 residents.

Flemington, City council member Larry Logan proclaimed, is “the best city in Liberty County and maybe the best in Georgia.”

“This is a great day, a great occasion,” added Flemington City Council member Hasit Patel.

Liberty County Commission Chairman Donald Lovette also hailed Hawkins for his threeplus decades of service to the city and the Liberty County community as a whole.

“The county is only able to move forward if you have good leaders across the board,” Lovette said. “I can truthfully say that over the years I’ve worked with Mayor Hawkins and the Flemington team, he is a visionary leader. This is a worthy honor of a man who has given a lot of great service. Thank you so much for your service to the community.”

State Rep. Al Williams (D-Midway) recalled first meeting Hawkins more than 50 years ago. Williams remarked how Hawkins has a giant heart.

“He is the same now as he was when we met,” Williams said. “I know how you love your community. Flemington has something to really be proud of with your legacy as mayor.”

In a resolution for the state House, Williams said Hawkins has shown an unwavering commitment to the city and helped guide it through meaningful growth and progress, enhancing the quality of life for residents and businesses alike. Hawkins brought in street lighting, sidewalks, partnerships with the City of Hinesville and Liberty County to provide fire coverage and law enforcement and campaigned for a traffic signal at Highway 84 and Old Sunbury Road at Mc-Larry’s Curve.

Hawkins also helped modernize city government operations and played a significant role in securing Flemington’s first city hall.

“It is a legacy defined not only by projects completed and policies in action but also by the countless lives impacted by his vision, service and steadfast commitment,” Williams said.

Current Flemington Mayor Tim Byler gave an example of that service to the city after someone knocked down a fence on the edge of the city hall grounds. When he drove by the next day, Hawkins was out there with a shovel.

“I asked, ‘what are you doing?’ He said, ‘I’m fixing the fence. It has to go back up,’” Byler said. “I hope I can look to that example as we move the city forward.”