Did you know that our very own Georgia First Lady, Sandra Deal, is an alumni of Georgia College? First Lady Deal attended Georgia College when it was still known as Women’s College of Georgia and graduated in 1963 with her Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education.
According to an interview in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Sandra Deal knew from her first date with Gov. Nathan Deal that she was going to marry him. “He had a depth about him. He could talk about more than cars and ball games, and we both thought service to humanity was important–that there was more to life than just making money,” recalled the First Lady. However, she pictured her life as a military wife; she never imagined that one day she would become Georgia royalty. On June 12, 1966 the couple had a simple marriage ceremony and wed in Gainesville, GA.
Together the couple had four children, one boy and three girls. Nathan Deal went from practicing law, to serving in our military, to serving in the Legislature, to being elected to Congress in 1992. Sandra Deal decided she did not want fit the stereotype of a Congressman’s wife and returned to teaching full time. As her husband’s legal and politial career took off, Sandra Deal became the ultimate icon for women and juggled her career, raising four children and managing a farm with no complaints.
In 2006, her husband ran for Governer of Georgia and Sandra Deal said she fully supported him and believed he was the right person and it was the right time. She stated she didn’t give to much thought to where they would end up and this journey would take them, because she is not a big dreamer. She is a worker, and “looks for opportunity to promote some of the causes I think are important to the people of the state.” Some of the causes she has been promoting are care of the elderly, child care and early childhood education, and veterans returning to stateside. One of her biggest priorities at the moment is promoting literacy throughout Georgia. Through her program, “Read Across Georgia,” Sandra has visited over 500 Georgia schools and personally encouraged children to read more.
Personally, my favorite part about the First Lady, is when her friends describe her in interviews, it is always as a humble woman. Her friends tell the AJC that she did not even want to buy a new dress for her husband’s gubernational campaign. She thought that the money could be spent towards better things. Sandra Deal admitted herself that she shops at Belk and J.C. Penney! Her friends also said that she treats everyone like they are on equal playing fields. “It doesn’t matter if it’s somebody that is not in the society world. No matter how low on the totem poll they are, she treats them all the same,” said a friend of Deal’s since the 10th grade.
We’re pretty lucky to have a First Lady like Sandra Deal, wouldn’t you say? And even luckier to say that she graduated from our very own college.