ATLANTA — The longest-serving member of the Georgia House of Representatives has received a new honor for his decades of service.
On Thursday, Morehouse School of Medicine dedicated a new building to former State Rep. Calvin Smyre, who has supported the institution since it started.
Channel 2′s Karyn Greer was there as Governor Brian Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens cut the ribbon for the dedication of the Calvin Smyre Education Conference Center.
“Having a building that houses our future generation of doctors named after you is a wild moment,” Smyre said.
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Smyre was 26 in 1974 when he was first elected to the Georgia State House where he served for 48 years before stepping down in 2023 at the age of 74.
Now decades later, Smyre’s contributions to the state is literally being etched in stone.
“To be involved in this process and to have been involved with the Morehouse School of Medicine since 1975, and it’s 2025, that’s 50 years. And to see these young students, you know, it just brings joy to you,” he said.
Gov. Kemp said he’s proud to have closely worked with Smyre for so many years.
“Calvin Smyre is just a great American, a great Georgian, great member of the House of Representatives and somebody that I’ve worked very closely with,” the governor said. “And I think you saw that, saw the affection he had for our past governors and how closely he worked with them and appreciated them.”
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First Lady Marty Kemp says she has a special relationship with Smyre, who served in the State House with her father, Bob Argo.
“When Brian did his first day at the state, they let me sit in dad’s seat, and I turned around, and [Smyre] was like, ‘That’s Mr. Bob’s seat.’ And it just meant so much,” she said.
Building the Calvin Smyre Education Conference Center took three years and $14.5 million. Morehouse School of Medicine President Dr. Valerie Montgomery-Rice says she proud of the work that went into it, and to get to recognize Smyre.
“This is a special day, this is a three-year dream come true. And it is the culmination of really acknowledging the work of someone who’s been our champion,” Dr. Montgomery-Rice said.
Smyre is still a board member emeritus at the school and continues to tout the work they’ve done to legislators and community leaders.
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