By JANET McGREGOR
Special to The Citizen

Paul W. Heard Jr.'s legacy of integrity, honesty and humility will live on through his family, friends and all the lives he touched, speakers after speaker emphasized during funeral services Sunday in Peachtree City. Heard, a well-known and well-respected local political leader and businessman, died Nov. 19 at Emory University Hospital of complications from cancer.

His youngest son, Preston, was born on his birthday and he died on the 34th birthday of his twin daughters, Paige and Paula. The children said they consider it an honor to share the two dates, saying they will always remember their father on those dates.

A longtime active member of the First Baptist Church of Peachtree City, his funeral service attracted more than 1,000 family members and friends. Heard's faith was an integral part of his life. When running for office he spent time prior to every speech in his “prayer closet.”

According to longtime family friend Barbara Hust, “He based everything on his Christian faith.” Heard taught Sunday School at First Baptist and his class acted as honorary pallbearers at the funeral.

Heard was the CEO and board chairman of P.W. Heard Inc., a multimillion-dollar industrial and mechanical plumbing-contracting firm. His oldest son, Terry, works in the family business.

He ran for the Peachtree City Council in 1977 in a tight race against Sallie Satterthwaite. While serving on the council, the controversial decision was made to purchase McIntosh Amphitheater, now renamed the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater.

During Heard's tenure, Fred Brown was appointed to the council to finish an unfinished term. Brown later ran for mayor, becoming the longest-serving mayor in Peachtree City. Brown recounted that Heard was responsible for the oft-used comment that “The good thing about electing [Mayor Fred Brown] was that we got Nita.” Nita was Brown's wife.

“Paul was one of the finest gentlemen I ever had the privilege of knowing. He was a man of integrity, compassion and family values. He will be sorely missed,” said Brown.

Herb Frady, who served as Peachtree City mayor while Heard was on the council and attends Heard's church, said, “He was one of the finest people I have ever known. He was a man of honesty, integrity and humility. He didn't want credit, he just wanted to do what was right.”

Longtime Citizen columnist and former council member Sallie Satterthwaite remembers Heard as the man who beat her, gracefully.

“It says a lot about a man when his political opponents regard him with the utmost respect and affection,” Satterthwaite said. “Such a man was Paul Heard. When I sought what I thought would be easy reelection to City Council in 1978, after having stepped down for a family crisis, Paul also ran for the seat. I remember little about any issues, except that I did not win votes for my outspoken lack of sympathy for the lack of amusements for teens here.

“Whatever the differences, Paul defeated me,” Satterthwaite said, “and always seemed a bit apologetic about it. He went from Peachtree City to the state legislature; I like to think I helped launch his political career. Our political philosophy differed, but I admired him deeply as one of the rare people in public service for truly altruistic reasons. I also appreciated his willingness to take seriously the budding political awareness of our younger daughter Jean. As a college student, she'd write to him at the Capitol and he'd respond respectfully and with explanations. I think his model helped shape her into the dedicated public servant she became in later years. If you have to be defeated in an election, it helps that it's by a gentleman like Paul Heard. He'll be missed.”

A number of years after leaving the council, Heard successfully ran against Grady Huddleston for the House of Representatives, winning by just over 200 votes. At that time, the county was primarily Democratic, making a win by a Republican an additionally surprising victory. He served from 1983 to 1992 in what was then District 43. Heard was very influential in the redistricting that resulted in the current 104th and 105th districts.

Heard served as minority leader in the House from 1991 to 1992. He was a key force in expanding the state's sunshine law, requiring open government meetings and open records.

Heard made an unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination for Georgia governor in 1994. Heard lost the nomination to the well-moneyed Guy Millner.

According to Peachtree City resident Barbara Hust, who was a consultant on the campaign, “Heard was always a gentleman. The state missed the opportunity of having the finest governor ever in 1994.”

Hust has been a close family friend for approximately 20 years, attended church with the Heards, and ran the Heard representative campaigns. She told a story of how during Heard's run for governor she and her husband were in Helen, Ga. for a visit. The pair were wearing Heard for Governor t-shirts. As they were walking down the street in the rain, a gentleman came up to her and asked if he could shake her hand. He said he was a Democrat serving in the House and that “behind the scenes” they were working and hoping to get Heard elected. He said Heard was the “finest man I've ever known and is well-liked.”

Hust said Heard was a family man, a people person and “was very strong in his beliefs.”

According to a number of friends, there were two things Heard strongly disliked about being an elected official: having to ask people for money for his campaigns, and making decisions adversely affected individuals and having to see their reactions when making the difficult negative decisions.

Shortly after his run for governor in 1994, Heard suffered a number of setbacks. His focus on the time-consuming and stressful gubernatorial race dictated that he take a step back from the management of the family business.

Within days of losing the Republican nomination, he discovered the family business was in deep financial trouble. Rather than take the easy way out as many would, Heard determined to honor all of his debts. He sold his new office building, the family vacation home, his properties on Hilton Head, and even mortgaged his own home to fulfill his obligations. In the end, he turned the business around and was one of the very few who managed to do so under such challenging circumstances.

The bonding company that backed him during the endeavor uses Heard's situation as a positive example to companies going through similar situations.

He discovered he had cancer during this period, also. After being cancer-free for two years, another tumor was discovered in 1998.

Heard is survived by his wife, Helen H. Heard; daughters Paige Heard and Paula and Cory Eubanks, Sara and Matthew Molchan; sons Preston Heard and Terry and Tracy Heard; grandchildren Lauren, Chad and Adam Eubanks, Aubrey Heard and Jayne Molchan; sister, Dr. and Mrs. Winford (Carol) Hendrix; brother-in-law, LeRoy and Beverly Hamilton and nieces and nephews.